Second Chance
by bananeviolette
Summary: Angelina Johnson is asked to return to Hogwarts to train as the new infirmary nurse. A dangerous and heartbreaking romance ensues. I own nothing. Angelina/Snape.
1. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

**A/N: This story follows the same very basic plot line of Harry Potter. It is set about 2 years before the start of the second war. Severus is still a double agent, working for Voldemort as well as Dumbledore; however he is obviously truly loyal to Dumbledore. I have not introduced the storyline of Severus protecting Harry, for I want this story to mostly concentrate on Severus and Angelina and it would be amazingly difficult trying to do both story lines justice at the same time. So, in absence of Harry, the sole reason that Severus feels motivated to serve the Order is the fact that he feels extremely guilty for his crimes in his younger Death Eater days and has now devoted his life to undermining Voldemort. Angelina's age has also been altered to fit the time frame of the events leading up to the war. Also, the point of view shifts between Severus and Angelina. I will try to make it as clear as possible. If you guys find any basic discrepancies between J.K's world of magic and mine, please call it to my attention. Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoy!**

Angelina Johnson had just finished her final day of formal education to become a healer. Apparating expertly, she landed directly on her doorstep. These days it was absolutely prudent to be able to apparate exactly where you wanted to go. She glanced furtively around before entering. It was that particularly terrifying time of twilight where shadows and light combined to form a dark scene of obscurity. Without a moment's hesitation she closed and locked the door behind her and performed the obligatory protective wards. She finally let go of the breath that she had been holding. She was now safe. Exhausted she walked into her small London flat and dropped into her tiny pink armchair, immediately turning up her nose. She had forgotten to rinse the coffee from her chipped porcelain mug and now the room held the unpleasant aroma of cheap stale coffee. Too tired even to perform a quick deodorizing charm, she glanced around her flat moodily. _It isn't much_ she thought to herself as she analyzed the mismatched furniture of her living room_, but it's home, I guess_. As she was assessing her living space, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror that hung above her small bookshelf. Flawless dark honey brown skin that was accentuated by full lips and large dark eyes. Her shiny jet black hair hung just at her shoulders. _Not too bad Ange,_ _at least you don't look as tired as you feel_. A firm rapping roused her out of her thoughts. Looking to the small window over the kitchen sink, she saw a great handsome tawny owl glaring at her with wide brown eyes and an oversized official looking letter tied to his right leg. Hurrying over, she forced the old window open and allowed the owl entrance. He positioned himself directly in front of her and presented his leg to her. Perplexed, she quickly untied the letter and scanned its surface. She didn't recognize the long, loopy handwriting at all. A quick look at the return address and she was completely stunned. _What could Albus Dumbledore want with me? _

_ Dear Ms. Angelina Grace Johnson,_

_ It has come to my attention that you have graduated from St. Mungo's Institute of Healing with the highest of honors. Congratulations! I am so very proud to hear of another student's success. Congratulations though, are only partly what I offer. As you know, the Hogwarts infirmary has been run solely for many years by dear Madam Pomfrey and she has done an outstanding job. However, we don't grow younger and as of late I believe that it's time for her to start training a replacement. I am offering you this honor, Ms. Johnson, because I feel as though your skill and loyalty are exactly what Hogwarts will need in this perilous time to come. Please consider this proposition and reply as soon as you make your decision. I hope I find you in a cheerful and happy place this evening,_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Albus Dumbledore himself had offered her a job at Hogwarts! This was more than she ever dreamed she would accomplish so soon out of school. Not even a day out of school, in fact. Still shocked she absentmindedly grabbed a small dish from her washing rack, filled it with water and set it next to the giant owl. He dipped his beak a couple of times, gave a shrill hoot and dived out of the still open window. Her eyes raced as she reread the letter. Her shock and joy slowly began to turn to anxiety as a certain phrase jumped out at her, "…in this perilous time to come." Those words held an obvious warning. What did Dumbledore expect? What did he know? Was the war approaching faster than she thought? Shaking these thoughts out of her head she focused on locating parchment and a quill. She would do this; there was no question about it. Then it hit her. She wasn't doing this because she was excited about how it would further her career or to impress her family and friends. She was doing this because this was to be her way to contribute to the Good side. This was the way she could help banish the unspeakable evil that was He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

And this is how Angelina Grace Johnson ended up back at Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome Back

**A/N: Reviews are the best form of encouragement to keep writing, so please take a couple of minutes and jot down a couple of notes for me please :) **

Classic brown riding boots. Dark wash jeans. Crème colored blouse and a tastefully cut maroon pea coat. Hair out of her face and pulled back with a dark clip at the base of her neck. Angelina sized herself up in the oversized full length mirror that stood in the corner of her small bedroom. In spite of her numerous efforts to look refined and austere she just came off as a cute schoolgirl. Looking across the room to the small golden clock that was mounted on the wall, she decided that this would just have to do. Today was the day. _It's now or never, Ange._ She reached over and grabbed her small compact suitcase from her bed. Giving her room one last sweeping look, she exited for the last time. She walked from room to room, insuring that everything was in order, that there was nothing left. She had to make sure that nothing could potentially identify or incriminate her in the future, for she was certain that this place was likely to be searched after her departure. By the ministry and the death eaters. It was common knowledge that both sides were monitoring Dumbledore and anyone that remotely had anything to do with him. A quick flash of fear flew through her mind as she was uncomfortably reminded of the potential danger she was putting herself in. Banishing these troublesome thoughts, she brought her mind back to the task at hand. Satisfied, she opened her front door and was once again met with a fading sun. Closing the door with a quick snap behind her, she turned smartly on her heel and disappeared with a sharp crack.

Angelina once again marveled at her apparating skills as she found herself almost nose to nose with the impressive iron gate that marked the primary entrance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Taking a couple of steps back, she breathed in the heady scent of pine and indulged in the crisp, clean air. _It feels exactly the same. _The path leading up to the school was fringed on either side with soaring dark evergreen trees. Their trunks were huge and ancient and their boughs extended endlessly about them. The sky was a deep auburn with swirls of violet and burgundy. She lost herself in memories of happier days where her biggest problems were the daily stressors of being a Quidditch captain, or an abysmal grade on a Potions paper. It surely didn't feel like that all had happened less than four years ago. Spontaneous pick-up games of Quidditch played under the waning summer sun. Trips to Hogsmeade so bundled in clothing that movement was almost impossible. Lazy spring days spent with the twins, Katie, and Alicia under their favorite shade tree down at the edge of the lake. Her mind indulged in these memories of her closest friends. Contact had fallen off slightly over the years with Katie and Alicia, but the twins had remained as close as ever. These reminiscent thoughts were immediately shut out at the sight of a dark billowing shape striding powerfully toward her from the school.

A tiny gasp escaped her lips. She never for a second had the nerve to expect that Dumbledore himself would be the one to greet her, but she never in a thousand years thought that he would send Snape to come and collect her. However, that's exactly who it was.

A familiar feeling of dread filled her. Snape had never personally vicitimized her during her school years, of course, but he nonetheless still had the horrible reputation of being cold and unfairly hard on the Gryffindors. However, she was determined to hide her apprehension from him. She would be professional and friendly; after all, they were to be colleagues. She had given absolutely no thought to how her old professors would receive her, but then again, Snape was probably the only one that needed to be worried about. She watched as he stopped on the edge of the path and waved his wand in an elaborate figure eight. The old iron gates groaned in protest as they began to open inwardly. She quickly crossed the boundary and felt a quick rush of heat fall over her entire body and then dissipate. She had crossed the protective wards that undoubtedly encircled the entire school.

"Good Evening, Miss Johnson." He was looking at her with his signature indifference. Or was there a slight glimmer of amusement in his eyes? _Ah, no matter, time to go, Ange._

"Good evening, Professor." She seemed to not be able to find anything else to say. Searching her mind frantically for something to discuss, she felt her heart begin to race and her palms begin to sweat. _Say something about the weather! What weather? It's perfectly neutral out here tonight! Say something, you're being awkward as hell. _

"Shall we proceed to the castle? Dumbledore wants to speak with you." His cool, calm voice brought her out of her nonverbal agitation. She shot a glance at him. He definitely looked amused now.

"Ahem, uh, yes, let's go." She awkwardly picked up her suitcase from where it had been sitting at her feet.

"No, no. Allow me." One more sweep of his wand and her suitcase soared gracefully out of her hands and levitated besides them. Oh, how she wished her hair wasn't up so she could hide her face. She thanked the heavens for her dark skin, for she surely would be burning a bright red right now. Following slightly behind him, she gave up on conversation completely and wondered at what in the world was making her feel so nervous in front of Severus Snape.


	3. Chapter 3: His Point of View

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long for me to get this new chapter up. Finals are such a pain :/ Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! **

Severus massaged his temples and hung his head as Dumbledore repeated his instructions for what it seemed like the hundredth time. He glanced up at Fawkes as the great fiery bird observed quietly in the corner from his golden perch. The normally soft, relaxing whirring of the delicate silver instruments placed sporadically around the room irked him today. Every one of the wizened professors that hung on the back wall snored gently in a deep slumber as it was well past midnight. Dumbledore's voice floated in and out of his mind, words began to lose their meaning and urgency.

"Make sure that you make it clear to him that it will happen on the fifth weekend. That is absolutely essential; for any mistakes will set us back much farther than I desire to even think about." Dumbledore stroked his long silver beard thoughtfully as he looked questioningly at Severus.

"My dear Severus, are you paying any attention to me at all? I know the hour is late but this is hardly a conversation to be dozing off on."

"With all due respect, Albus, I feel as if you are beginning to underestimate me. I am, as always, as cautious as ever." Severus replied quietly and deliberately. It was taking a great amount of willpower to keep all traces of annoyance out of his voice. He wanted to escape to his dungeons, the only place where he even slightly felt like he could let his guard down.

"You are right, my friend. I apologize if I seem particularly patronizing tonight. Term is about to begin and I am finding myself more nervous than usual. Ah, that reminds me, I have a small personal favor to ask of you."

Severus raised his eyes in slight anticipation, for it was extremely rare that Dumbledore asked for anything personal.

"I have suggested to Madam Pomfrey that she begin training an apprentice, for you know she is getting up there in years." Dumbledore paused lingeringly before continuing,

"I have asked Ms. Angelina Johnson to come and take up that responsibility. She's scheduled to arrive tomorrow at around 4 p.m. I would be most grateful if you could welcome her and make sure she's able to get through the protective wards."

He ended his sentence abruptly. Innumerable questions filled Severus's mind. Why didn't Dumbledore fetch her himself or put Filch up to it? Didn't Johnson graduate less than 4 years ago? And why on earth would Dumbledore request this of _him_? Most puzzling, why couldn't he form the words that his mind was screaming at him to say? Absolutely not. Why was he now nodding a quiet assent? Why the hell was he agreeing to this?

* * *

><p>He started down the path with a large sweeping gait. The night was cool and crisp. A distant crack caught his attention. Looking far off into the distance, he saw a tiny dark speck just beyond the great gates of Hogwarts. As he grew closer, he was completely taken aback. This woman was absolutely beautiful. He forced his eyes to stay strictly on her face as she looked up at him with large brown doe eyes.<p>

"Good Evening, Miss Johnson."

* * *

><p>"Peppermint sticks." Severus stiffly repeated the password to the great stone gargoyle. He repressed his urge to shoot a quick glance at her. She seemed to have given up on any conversation and had quickly erased his expectation of a bubbly, annoyingly cheerful schoolgirl. He couldn't form an evaluation as he usually could within the first ten seconds of meeting someone. She didn't seem like the resigned type yet she had made no effort to question, or intimidate him. She stood tall and straight and had a bearing of great confidence. She walked with energy, like there was an invisible force propelling her along. As the gargoyle spiraled them closer and closer to the circular office, Severus reprimanded himself for giving too much thought to the young woman besides him. He instead turned his thoughts to the Meeting that was to take place tonight precisely at six. He shuddered.<p>

"Ahh! My dear Angelina, aren't you looking gorgeous tonight!" Dumbledore's cheerful words met his ears jarringly. Severus immediately made a beeline for an inconspicuous corner. He listened intently to their conversation as Dumbledore began to explain her training process.

"So my dear, you will work with Madam Pomfrey for about three hours each day learning the various ins and outs of working in our hospital wing. Professor, ahem, Pomona Sprout has graciously agreed to tutor you in the art of medicinal botany for one hour each day and Severus here will lead you in the talent of potion making for an additional hour each day. The rest of time will be yours to use any way you see fit. Madam Pomfrey is waiting in the hospital wing to show you your accommodations. You will begin tomorrow, if that works for you?" Severus could not believe his ears. Dumbledore had not even mentioned in the slightest anything about "leading Angelina in the talent of potion making" Dumbledore must have completely lost his mind. Angelina shook Dumbledore's hand happily and was out of the office in an instant.

"So, Albus, when where you going to tell me that I will be tutoring Angelina?"


	4. Chapter 4: Danger

The room wasn't anything fancy but it was more than enough for her. It was a small offshoot of Madam Pomfrey's personal quarters; a small room and bathroom that the old woman swore she hadn't used in "over ten years". Angelina smiled to herself as she remembered the firm but humble manner of the older woman. She had seemed quite happy to be receiving help and eager to train an apprentice. Sitting on the edge of the quilt covered bed Angelina glanced around. There was a small circular window that gave her a happy view of the vibrant grass that eventually led down to a far edge of the lake. It was about five thirty now and the sun was just beginning its long descend to the other side of the earth. Late summer was always a beautiful time at Hogwarts.

_Well, better get ready for din_, she thought to herself. As she rummaged around in her small suitcase, she reflected on the events of the day. Everything had gone much more smoothly than she could have hoped. Dumbledore was informative and had made her feel particularly at ease, Madam Pomfrey had been sweet and benevolent, and she had a nice little room to herself. Except for that Snape episode. Her mind took off into analytical mode. Nothing he did or said had been suspicious but there was something about his presence that had caught her extremely off-guard. It amazed her that she already felt this uncomfortable around him. Shaking out a flowy forest green blouse she banished those thoughts from her head. It didn't matter anyway. It was nothing.

Angelina had never thought about how Hogwarts was run over the summer. Before now, she hadn't even considered that idea that Hogwarts was a permanent home for many of the teachers. So, as she walked into the dining hall she was greatly surprised to see the head table filled with many familiar faces. They all looked at her with a certain curious enthusiasm. _It must be strange for them_, she thought, _Dumbledore doesn't usually hire this young_. Even as her mind raced with thought, she dutifully smiled and inquired about various family members and subjects. She asked tiny Professor Flitwick about his recent research on combination charms and revealed her long held secret admiration of Transfiguration to McGonagall. She always had a knack for friendly conversation. Fred used to tease her and called her a charmer but she preferred to think of it as a talent for making people feel at ease and content. As she lowered herself into her seat, Madam Pomfrey reached over and gave her hand a loose squeeze,

"Nice to see you dear, that's a lovely green top." Angelina returned her smile warmly. Finally, the attention shifted away from her as lively dinner conversation began between the professors. She took this time to get a full look at everyone that was sitting on either side of her. Everyone looked healthy, a slight bit older, yes, but healthy. An unsolicited thought interrupted the inspection of her colleagues. _Where was Snape?_ He was most noticeably absent. She almost physically grimaced at this thought. _What is wrong with you, Angie?_ Fortunately heaps of food suddenly appeared on the golden plate before her and offered her a convenient distraction.

* * *

><p>The table was very long, and made out of impeccably polished wood. A great crystal chandelier hung low in the center of it and gave off an unnervingly elegant glow. It reflected on the table and in the eyes of the people that surrounded it. It was the only source of light in the room. The table was flanked on either side with a long row of people. Even though each face differed greatly in the amount of scarring and level of attractiveness, there was a universal expression of cold austerity mixed with a certain amount of fear. It was the weekly Meeting. All eyes were fixated on the figure that sat comfortably at the head of the table. A figure with skin so pale that it almost seemed blue. To the immediate right of this figure sat a woman with dark hair that curled wildly down her back. Her eyes glowed with insatiable malice and an eagerness to inflict pain and suffering. This was Bellatrix Lestrange. To her right was a pale man with dark, lank hair. His eyes were tired and hinted at a great sadness, but only a well trained eye would be able to place these emotions. This was Severus Snape.<p>

"So, is that all you have to report about my school?" the voice was cold and demanding, always demanding. The Dark Lord had always referred to Hogwarts as his own. It had always worried Snape, for in the back of his mind he was sure that the Final Plan in some way included an invasion of the school. _Never mind, back to the matter at hand_.

"Yes, my Lord. Dumbledore has kept a low profile lately and I have already told you the date of the weekend that he plans to travel." Silence. A long silence.

"Are you absolutely certain that nothing else has changed lately? Think carefully." The voice and the words had become dangerous. Severus was at a loss. Then it hit him. The Dark Lord was talking about Angelina. But why? Severus took it in stride. Now was not the time to question, now was time to give the Dark Lord an answer.

"Ah. Dumbledore did hire a young former student to become our infirmary nurse's assistant." He kept his voice plain; it was never wise to take the Dark Lord as a fool. Severus immediately realized that the Dark Lord had already known of this, and mentally kicked himself for failing to mention it earlier. It was imperative that there be no reason for the Dark Lord to think that Severus was hiding anything from him. Severus was reminded quickly of the consequences of suspected disloyalty. Forced confession. Torture. Death. Even though Severus believed himself adequately equipped to defend himself against mental attack, he still did not relish the idea of the Dark Lord attempting to pry information out of him. He also didn't overestimate his value to the Dark Lord.

"I already knew of this. Angelina Johnson. I hope that I don't have to remind you how important it is that you keep me aware of each and every new person that comes into contact with Dumbledore. I thought I made that particularly clear." The cold voice stopped abruptly.

"I apologize, Lord. It completely slipped my mind." He was painfully aware of the unusual attentiveness of the other Death Eaters. It was rare that the Dark Lord and Snape had this type of interaction.

"Ah dear Severus, you would do well to not allow other things to slip your mind in the future. Such things can be… expensive." Severus stayed silent as he now realized that he was treading in deep, unknowable waters.

"Stay aware, my spy. Always be aware." Severus took this as a warning.


	5. Chapter 5: Premonition

"Are you sure that you'll be okay out here by yourself, dear?" Pomona Sprout looked questioningly at the young girl that was bent over a cluster of tiny lavender colored flowers. They were in the Forbidden Forest. The air was warm and the sky was streaked with violet and orange in a swirl of beautiful disparity. There was only about one more hour of sunlight left before the sun would begin to descend. Pomona couldn't help but slightly question the young woman's defensive competence. Not that the Forbidden Forest was too dangerous, but one could never be too careful. Especially these days.

"I'll be fine, Professor Sprout. Go on back to the castle. I promise I won't stay out past twilight." Angelina assured the older woman patiently. She had always felt at home in the forest. The creaking of the tall evergreens in the wind had always soothed her.

"Alright sweetheart. I'll see you at dinner then." The short, round woman breathily began to pick her way to the fringes of the forest, back to her beloved greenhouses.

Angelina had been instructed to begin picking _aster tanacetifolius_ as these small flowers were useful in a surprising number of medicinal potions. Pomona wanted to start Angelina with the first very basic task of botany; gathering the necessary ingredients from their natural habitat.

As Angelina carefully continued to pinch the small heads off of their stems, she felt a rush of nostalgia. Fred. The long spade shaped leaves that were found along the delicate stem were a particular shade of dark emerald green, the same color as Fred's eyes. Her mind rushed to that time of long ago, where her life had consisted of a series of romantic adventures. She didn't and never would regret her relationship with Fred. He had shown her how glorious life could be. Amid the joy that she felt at seeing the green that so reminded her of his deep eyes, however, she couldn't keep her thoughts from bitterly turning to the demise of their bond.

_The night air was freezing but she was warm in his arms. They had just apparated onto her balcony after a night full of lovemaking and whispered promises. He moved his hands down her back and touched his lips to hers for one last time. Then he was gone. _

_As quietly as she could, a still smiling Angelina Johnson opened the balcony door and entered her room. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the sudden dimness, she drew her wand swiftly as she realized that a dark figure was sitting at the foot of her bed._

"_Put your wand away, miss. It's time we had a talk." Angelina was both horrified and relieved to see that it was just her mother, Alaina Johnson. Angelina slowly approached her mother, but didn't sit. She could tell by the deep scowl on Alaina's usually austere face that she was distressed._

_ "Was that Fred?" her words were clipped and short, as if the very mention of his name was unacceptable. There was also a certain amount of disgust in her tone._

_ "Yes." Angelina refused to give her mother any emotion. Alaina gave her daughter no quarter and immediately began her tirade._

_ "Why are you doing this to us, Angie! Your father and I have given you everything, we've loved you, given you all the clothes you could ever want, sent you to the best schools, and now you threaten to throw it all away by getting involved with a-" Alaina stopped herself abruptly._

_ "No, mother. What were you going to say? Say it. Say it now." Angelina's temper was a force to be reckoned with. She had known that this talk was inevitable. She had seen small signs of her parent's disapproval, but now that the time was here, now that it was actually taking place, she realized that she could have never prepared herself for the anger that she now felt._

_ "He's a damn blood traitor, Angelina!" There. That was it. That horrible confirmation of her parent's beliefs was the beginning of the end of her relationship with Fred Weasley AND with Alaina and Alexander Johnson. _

Although Angelina attempted to maintain both connections, they ultimately both shattered each other and she was left alone. With no one except her old school friends to rely on. A quick glance of the sky quickly distracted her from her depressing recollections. It was getting dark and was time to head back to the castle for dinner and her last lesson of the day, with Snape. She had been suppressing this event all day for she had been employing her best efforts to eradicate all thoughts about Severus Snape.

She was upon them before she even noticed that they were they there. In her distracted wanderings, she had walked directly into a band of centaurs.

It was quiet. The entire band had stopped and was staring at her curiously. Many of them seemed to be staring at her right hand. Angelina did not feel fear, she knew she had to be cautious and respectful, but she did not feel any fear. She focused her attentions on the two prominent males that seemed to be leading. One was dark, his hair wild and tangled, his skin a slate blue. The other looked more refined in nature. He was a palomino and had a long, flowing blond tail. He was also quite handsome, she noticed unwittingly._ Time to break the silence, Ange._

"Good evening! I'm sorry; I was preoccupied and didn't notice where I was going. I apologize for trespassing." She called out clearly and cheerfully. She didn't get a response immediately. She only got more dumbfounded stares. Then, one of the male centaurs, the palomino, responded to her in a calm, deliberate voice,

"Good evening to you as well. The forest belongs to all who respect it. Who are you?" The question was not asked in a demanding or imposing way. He seemed genuinely puzzled as to who she could possibly be.

"I am the new infirmary nurse from up at the castle. I was just gathering aster, for potions." She kept it short as she did not know the rules or ways of the centaur and did not want to confuse or complicate things.

"Ah. Okay then, we will now continue on our way." The blond centaur nodded his head to the rest of the band and they began to canter away softly. She attracted one or two more lingering looks and then they were gone.

* * *

><p>As the band eventually dissolved back into a medley of quiet, personal conversation, Bane caught up with Firenze,<p>

"That was interesting. I had not seen any signal in the sky about that encounter. That was a curious human. Her hand did not immediately go to her wand when she saw us."

"Two nights ago, I felt compelled to gaze at the moon." Firenze stated simply and stopped. Bane did not press him. Centaurs were a patient, strange kind, and their thoughts were not like those of humans.

"I saw that female in the midst of a great violent change. She is important. Also, she will become involved with another from the castle." As if almost on command, a sharp crack sounded from behind a nearby tree. Firenze pointed Bane's attention to it silently. Severus Snape emerged from behind the billowing sycamore, his dark robes flowing. He made eye contact with the centaurs and kept on his way. They had an understanding. After a fair amount of time had passed, Firenze continued,

"That is the other human that I saw. They have a story together. I saw this all two nights ago when I felt compelled to gaze at the moon." Bane bowed his head in acceptance and the centaurs continued on their way and troubled themselves no more with the dealings of men.


	6. Chapter 6: Just a Hint

**A/N: I had some trouble with this chapter but let me know what you think!**

Angelina was apprehensive. Her brown eyes were wide as she traveled deeper and deeper into the bowels of the castle. The suits of armor down here were neglected, tarnished, and their faces seemed more ominous than the brilliantly silver suits above. Strange echoes could be heard occasionally. Not distinct speech, but not abstract sound either. Angelina shivered and forced herself to look strictly ahead. She had been listening when Dumbledore had given her instructions to Snape's office, but she could not help but doubt her own sense of direction down here. Touching her hand lightly to the dank stone wall, she made a sharp right and found herself directly in front of a large wooden door. Ancient dark iron bands crisscrossed the warped wood. She raised her slightly shaking hand and gave it two solid knocks.

"Enter." A firm voice sounded from within. Angelina gave the door a light push and it creaked open inwardly. She walked in slowly and was surprised to see what Snape's office had to offer. It was very simple and neat. The only adornment was a large green Slytherin banner that hung alongside the hearth. She noticed uncomfortably that the green of the banner matched her blouse almost perfectly. _So much for house loyalty_, she thought to herself. She turned herself back to scrutinizing the office. There was a fire burning in the small fireplace that illuminated the dark stone walls. Snape was seated at his desk, which was situated along the far wall.

"Good Evening, Johnson. I trust you did not have much trouble finding your way down here?" She could feel him starting at her intently, trying to figure her out.

"I actually did get quite turned around, but I'm here now. Your office is...nice." She realized too late that her voice contained noticeable amounts of disbelief.

"That is typically the reaction I get. People seem to think that my office should be filled with torture equipment." Even though he did not smile, Angelina did not feel as though he was being hostile. He was making a friendly attempt at being humorous. Moving the thoughts of disbelief out of her mind she flashed him a smile and moved to sit in the armchair on the other side of his desk.

* * *

><p>He had decided to begin with a simple calming potion. After years and years of dealing with incompetent students, he'd decided long ago to underestimate everyone but Dumbledore and himself when it came to potion making. Angelina had seemed a bit peeved at this.<p>

"Honestly, I could brew this up in my sleep. I remember you teaching us this in my third year." She kept her voice calm and light but she was quite annoyed. One of her pet peeves was when she felt as though she was being underrated. Snape didn't know how to react to this opposition.

"We can go over the basic recipes then. We don't have time to try a more advanced potion today." Snape improvised slowly. He had planned on having her brew him a calming potion and then having her leave. Spontaneity did not work well with him, but if she wanted a challenge, he would give her one. There was a hint of a tease about her lips. Noticing that hint was a mistake though because Snape found himself staring at her lips. They were soft and full and…

"Oh Snape. I know all of the basic recipes perfectly. Try me." She could not help but add a slight taunt to her response. Something about him made her want to dissent.

"Coagulant."

"One cup of fresh water, base. Two drops of dittany. Three counterclockwise stirs. One clockwise stir. Simmer for 47 minutes exactly. One drop of dragon blood. Ten clockwise stirs. Use the incantation _Sanare _with a wide sweep of your wand over the surface of the cauldron." Her response was fast, without a moment's hesitation. He hid his surprise and continued.

"Antipyretic."

"Pinch of black pepper. Burn at the bottom of cauldron for five minutes. Add one part almond oil. Three clockwise stirs. Add one unicorn hair. Use the incantation _Febris _with a sharp prodding motion with your wand."

"Analgesic."

"Five parts olive oil. 2 counterclockwise stirs. Three twigs of Fey Kapab. One drop of dittany. One sprig of chamomile. Use the incantation _Dolor_. Again, a wide sweep of your wand over the surface of the cauldron." Snape immediately found a mistake.

"I don't remember chamomile being a part of this potion." His eyes gleamed mockingly as he corrected her quietly. She looked up at him slyly.

"Ah, but I've found that in my dealings with distressed patients that a sprig of chamomile acts as a calming agent. So instead of having to utilize both an analgesic and a calming potion, I only have to use the analgesic. Saves time and resources."

Altering potions successfully? He had never met anyone besides Dumbledore and himself that was capable of doing that effectively. Severus had no idea what to make of this woman. By rights, anyone that chose to banter with him in this way would be properly scorned and insulted. However, this quick back and forth with her did not anger him at all. It did nothing but make his heart race and give him the strangest urge. The urge to smile.

He gave in and looked down at her with a small smile. The smile that she returned made his heart soar above the trees.


	7. Chapter 7: Grim Reality

It had been exactly one month since the last meeting and things were not going well. The penetration of Hogwarts was imperative to the Plan. However, every possible entryway had so far proved airtight.

"We need to investigate that forest. There is magic in there that perhaps is strong enough to resist the wards." Bellatrix stated as she leaned lazily on the dark table. Severus blinked in surprise. His mind flew back to a moment long ago when Dumbledore was first introducing him to the school.

_It was almost twilight. A gaunt faced Snape was following a curiously happy Dumbledore. They had made a full round of the castle and now were on to the grounds. Dumbledore stopped abruptly at the edge of the small path that Snape could see eventually wound itself down into a dark forest. _

_ "Ah. Perhaps the most interesting area of Hogwarts: The Forbidden Forest. There is much ancient magic in there that I myself have not fully explored. Not that I particularly want to." Dumbledore commented cheerfully._

_ "Come, dear Severus. I now think it's time to show you your quarters." With that, he turned on the spot and started back toward the castle. Snape turned to follow him but not before giving the dark, swaying pines one last long look._

"Bella, you have a point." The room turned its attention immediately on the Dark Lord. Bellatrix's face took on a disgustingly genuine look of adoration and surprise.

"Why thank you, My Lord. I bet that there are things in there that even Dumbledore himself knows nothing about." Her statement gave Severus a feeling of great unease. He immediately sensed that this idea needed to be destroyed, and fast.

"I myself watched Dumbledore set those wards. I am certain that they circle the entire grounds completely." He watched as all faces turned to him. He instantly regretted his statement.

"Are you suggesting that we not even try, Severus?" the cool voice asked simply. Complete silence reigned around the room as everyone could sense the level of tension as it amplified tenfold. Snape knew he had to do damage control.

"Not at all, my Lord. I apologize, I spoke with haste. I will search the forest thoroughly when I return to the school tomorrow." Bellatrix shot Snape an angry look.

"No. I want to search it. I know Hogwarts just as well as you do and won't it seem suspicious if you are caught lurking outside of the wards?" Bellatrix didn't even bother addressing this question directly toward Snape. Her full attention was on the Dark Lord. Snape cursed her inwardly for he knew that her logic was sound.

"Yes. I think Bellatrix should search." With that, the Dark Lord rose from his seat and beckoned Nagini to him. He slowly walked out of the room leaving Bellatrix with her final instructions.

"Go soon and be thorough."

* * *

><p>Angelina was diligently cleaning out Madam Pomfrey's many drawers and cabinets. As she rewrapped bandages and relabeled old jars of ointment, she reflected on her past month at Hogwarts. Yes, the work was hard but she loved it here. She had loved Hogwarts when she had gone to school, of course, but walking the halls as a permanent resident was such a different experience. She now felt as though she knew every corridor, every painting, every suit of armor. She loved all of her lessons. Madame Pomfrey was a wealth of knowledge, Professor Sprout could name every plant in existence. However, out of all of her lessons, the one she looked forward to the most was Potions. She smiled to herself as she thought about the hours that she and Severus spent arguing, experimenting, conversing. Angelina had never before in her life met a person like him.<p>

"Good morning, sweetheart. What on earth are you doing?" Angelina snapped out of her thoughts quickly as Madame Pomfrey appeared by her side.

"Hello, Madame. I got up a tiny bit early this morning and thought that I would clean these out. I have nothing else to do today." Madame Pomfrey smiled gratefully.

"Why thank you, I don't know what I would do without you. You are a godsend." The older woman moved to evaluate to the supply shelves.

"Ahh, I think we are out of fresh pine, Madame. I was going to go collect some right after I finished with these."

"No, no dear. I might as well go. I fancy a nice early morning walk anyway." Angelina turned to face her questioningly.

"No, I can totally go. You can rest here, it's no trouble at all." Madame Pomfrey looked at Angelina with mock indignation.

"I may be old but I can still take a walk if I please, miss!" Angelina backed down with a laugh,

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you!" Madame Pomfrey just chuckled and went back into her quarters to change for the day.

* * *

><p>He knew that something was wrong as soon as she walked into the room. It amazed him how attuned he had become to this woman. The way she walked, the way she moved, even the look in her eye was all familiar to him. He could sense almost all of her emotions, even if he didn't know the cause of them. Right now he sensed anxiety and a horrible sadness. Still, he decided not to comment. This was his way. He had learned a long time ago that allowing a person to open up to you on their own often yields more information than if prompted. Not that he particularly wanted to know what was going on with her. At least that's what he told himself. He kept his actions as smooth and deliberate as always and his face as blank and impassive as ever.<p>

"Good afternoon Prof… Severus." Her voice was shaky and unsure. Why had she reverted to his old title? They had been working together for an entire month and they had switched to a first name basis after a couple of weeks. His mind flew unbidden to that moment. Ah, that moment.

_Her dark eyes were squinted in concentration as she leaned over the tiny cauldron with the vial of ambrosia held tightly between her fingers. The room was smoky and uncomfortably warm. They had been working on this extremely difficult potion for hours now. Exactly 3 perfect drops fell in and the dark brown liquid turned to a deep purple almost immediately. She stood erect as the relief washed visibly over her face as she let out a nervous giggle. _

_ "Excellent job, Johnson. It is rare for a novice to have such steady hands." He praised her lightly. _

_ "You can call me Angelina; after all, we are colleagues." She flashed him a quick look. This casual request for him to use her first name caught him completely off guard. And that was an extremely rare occurrence for Severus Snape. Snape, whose entire life relied on a constant cold, calculating thought process. Realizing the effect his continued silence was having he forced himself to speak, _

"_And you can refer to me as Severus." He stated quietly. Their eyes locked. It felt as if an electric current was raging its way up and down his entire body. Finally he could stand it no longer and had to sever the connection._

He brought himself out of his thoughts as her uneasiness could no longer be ignored.

Angelina could not concentrate. Had she really thought that she'd be able to maintain her composure? She avoided his slightly questioning gaze and moved suddenly over to the supply cabinet and yanked it open.

"What are we going to work on today? Felix Felicis or Drought of Living Death?" her voice was abnormally high pitched and the words came out in a rushed jumble. She could hear herself starting to disintegrate as tears quickly filled her eyes. She clutched at a vial so tightly that it threatened to splinter in her hands. He moved over to her quietly. She felt his hand slowly come over her own as he gently pulled the glass vial out of her grasp. No longer could she hold back.

"Madam Pomfrey is dead."


	8. Chapter 8: Death

Her words hung in the air long after they were spoken. Severus kept his shock hidden as Angelina sobbed out an explanation.

"It was so strange. I have no idea how… We were out of pine and I was going to go get some more this afternoon but Madame insisted that she would go get it. You don't have to go that deep into the forest to get pine so I got a bit worried after she didn't come back… I found her so deep in... I had just finished cleaning out the infirmary and noticed that she wasn't back yet. I went to the forest and I just couldn't find her until…" she paused as tears ran down her face.

"Angelina, where's Dumbledore?" Severus broke in gently but urgently.

"He was with the ministry in the forest but he might be back in his office now… Oh! I was supposed to go this morning but she insisted…" her stream of broken narrative then ended as she no longer could contain her grief. Slowly, Snape moved forward and folded her in his arms. She laid her head softly against his chest and hugged him fiercely. Snape wrapped his arms around her tightly as his mind and his heart raced. It had to have been Bellatrix. There was no other explanation. Severus set his jaw as he came to the sad realization that this was the first of what would undoubtedly be many tragedies. The murders had begun.

As the shock began to wear off, Snape felt his mind begin to push him to search for answers. He had to figure out what had happened and fast. He needed to piece together what had happened to know how to properly react. He hated himself for having to interrupt her sadness, but it was a necessary evil.

"Angelina, did you… did you see any trace of anybody else around the area where you found her?" he worded his sentence carefully. He had to keep the anxiety out of his voice, he had to seem like he was shaken and just naturally enquiring. She looked up at him in surprise.

"What do you mean? Why would there have been anyone else in the forest?" she asked him with confusion. Feeling as though he was missing an important part of the story, he backtracked quickly.

"How did she die?"

"She accidentally poisoned herself." A long pause filled the room as Severus ingested this confusing and unexpected piece of news.

"How do you know that?" he asked her quietly. She stared at him harshly and answered his question slowly.

"Because, I'm a healer and I know what a poisoning looks like. Moreover, I found what she had eaten. Deadly nightshade. The bush wasn't far away from where I found her." Angelina's voice had gained an air of suspicion. Severus knew that she thought he was acting strange but he had to know.

"Why would an experienced healer _accidentally_ ingest nightshade, it doesn't make sense." Severus avoided her gaze as he was finding it difficult for one of the first times in his life to conceal the truth about what he suspected.

"St. John's Wort berries look strikingly similar to deadly nightshade. These cases have been… documented before. Why are you so disbelieving?" The last part of her question was asked carefully. This was a sharp woman; he could not conceal anything from her.

"I'm not disbelieving, I'm just trying to figure out what's going on." Moving to the door he prompted her to exit,

"We need to go find Dumbledore."

* * *

><p>As they stood on the revolving spiral staircase Severus ran the core facts in his mind over and over, yet nothing seemed to be making any more sense than it did when he first had heard it. An experienced healer goes into the forest just a couple days after the Meeting and just happens to eat Deadly Nightshade berries and die. It was almost comical how ridiculous that scenario sounded. Bellatrix must have gotten through the wards and stumbled upon the old woman by accident and covered up the murder by planting the berries on her .The spell that she would have needed to use to fabricate the evidence was extraordinarily complex but Bellatrix was an extremely skilled witch. But why would Bellatrix need to hide the murder? She had never bothered in the slightest before. The answer hit him instantly. The entire point of the scouting mission was to observe and remain inconspicuous. The last thing that Bellatrix would have wanted was to get caught once she had found a break in the wards. Therefore Madame Pomfrey had to be killed and the deed had to be covered up. Severus set his jaw as he came to the ultimate realization: Bellatrix had found out how to get onto the grounds.<p>

Questions flooded into his mind endlessly: How should he tell Dumbledore? Would he be able to find out exactly what happened and how Bellatrix was able to find a way onto the grounds at the next meeting? And most importantly, how was Dumbledore going to safeguard the school without blowing Snape's cover? Pushing all these questions to the back of his mind he opened the door to Dumbledore's office and allowed Angelina entrance. Dumbledore was sitting behind his great desk looking as wary as ever; however his eyebrows rose slightly at the appearance of Snape as he entered the office behind Angelina.

"Hello, dear. How are you doing?" Dumbledore asked Angelina kindly. Snape was impressed to see the lack of any trace of tears in her eyes as she answered Dumbledore,

"As well as can be expected, Headmaster. Thank you for your concern." Dumbledore shot Snape a glance. Snape instantly understood what it meant. _We'll talk later. Let me deal with her first._ Snape moved to his seat in the corner of the room and watched. Dumbledore then turned his full attention onto the solemn woman sitting in front of him.

"I've talked with the Ministry and we've confirmed the cause of death and gotten all of the technicalities out of the way. I've moved her into the infirmary and the ministry is sending someone tomorrow to prepare her. I think that we should hold the funeral the day after tomorrow, in the morning. That was her favorite time of day." Dumbledore stated this all simply and gently. Angelina, however, could not believe her ears. She forced herself to address the Headmaster as politely as she could.

"What do you mean 'the Ministry is sending someone tomorrow to prepare her'?" Dumbledore simply looked at Angelina, puzzled.

"I thought I would be the one to prepare her for her funeral. It is my right. It is an honor that I won't have denied to me!" Dumbledore smiled in admiration as he realized the source of her anger.

"I do apologize! I assumed that it would be more comfortable for you if someone else dressed her for the funeral. That is, I suppose, my mistake. One should never assume. Of course you may do that and forgive me for my thoughtlessness." Dumbledore could not suppress the smile that dominated his face. This was a rare woman indeed! He reached across the desk and gave her hand warm squeeze.

"Go try and get some sleep." Angelina gave him a grateful smile and left the office. He now turned to Snape expectantly.

"Now, Severus what do you need?" Dumbledore's smile vanished as Severus relayed his suspicions.


	9. Chapter 9: Goodbye, Poppy

**A/N: Finally summer is here! I'm hoping to have chapters up much more quickly now! Keep reviewing :)**

Dumbledore took his spectacles off and polished them slowly on the corner of his silvery star-ridden robe.

"So you're telling me that at this very second, an army of Death Eaters could be infiltrating the grounds?" Severus never understood Dumbledore's maddening self-control. The man didn't even seem worried!

"I doubt they'd make such a bold move now. But yes, if they wanted to, they could. There's a breach in the protection and there's no way anyone could convince me that Madam Pomfrey's death was a poisoning. That's rubbish." He snorted contemptuously. Dumbledore replaced his glasses and addressed the glorious red bird perched in the corner.

"Well Fawkes, you heard the man. Alert Grimmauld Place and send Kingsley Shacklebolt to me. Fly safe, my pet." Both men watched as Fawkes chirped piercingly and vanished in a bright flame.

"I believe that posting a guard in the forest will be the most effective way to maintain the school's safety. They will alert me personally to any unusual activity." Severus looked at the Headmaster disbelievingly.

"You think a single person is sufficient?" he asked quickly.

"Yes, like I said they would alert me. If necessary I could have the entire Order _and_ Ministry here within seconds. You have to keep in mind that there was no proof at all that Bellatrix had been onto the grounds. I investigated the area myself." Dumbledore explained patiently. Snape knew that this was Dumbledore's way of letting him know that he did not fully believe Snape's suspicions. Irately, Snape got up and left the office, his dark robes billowing about him.

* * *

><p>The morning was damp and freezing. Angelina's fingers clutched the small piece of parchment that she was holding tightly, it was almost time. She watched as Dumbledore stepped off of the small platform where he had been speaking only moments before. She looked around as no one seemed to be stepping forward to take his place.<p>

"Angelina, dear?" To her embarrassment, Dumbledore turned to her and prompted her patiently. Her feet seemed to be stuck to the wet grass, it was impossible to move. She felt a tear threaten to make its presence known. A warm hand placed itself on the small of her back and she looked behind her to see Severus Snape looking down at her. _C'mon, Ange. Move girl. _She forced her feet to take her to the platform. She could feel many pairs of sympathetic eyes on her as she excused her way up toward the faraway platform. A sad whisper caused the tear to follow through on its threat.

"Aye, lookit her Bill. Such a wee thing. Poor girl…" Mounting the steps slowly, Angelina reached the podium with tears streaming down her face. Unashamedly she lifted her face to the small audience before her.

"Hello, all. I…uhm. Dumbledore asked me if I thought I would be able to say a few words about the woman that we all loved. I came here a few months ago, completely new. Madam took me in with open arms and taught me things about healing that I never could have learned at school, things which you only learn after many many years of healing. Poppy Pomfrey was a beautiful woman inside and out… and I… I can only hope that I will be able to become half as worthy a woman as she." Angelina turned her eyes to look at the polished oak casket that lay covered in white roses before her. Pulling her wand out slowly, she whispered an incantation and a gorgeous bouquet of red-orange flowers shot out of her wand. The audience sighed and tittered at the sudden burst of color. Poppies. Leaving the wooden stage and holding the bouquet close to her chest, Angelina crouched by the grave and tossed her bouquet on top of the white roses obscuring them completely.

"I'm sure Poppy would have enjoyed a little color."

* * *

><p>It had been a week since the funeral. Angelina stood in the Owlery, affixing a thick parchment letter to the foot of an impressive barn owl. Katie had written her after hearing of Madam Pomfrey's death and Angelina was just now sending her response. The first couple of days after the funeral had been especially hard. She gave the large brown bird a soft stroke before releasing him out of the high window. Heading down the narrow stone staircase she changed direction in mid step and headed up toward the astronomy tower. It was almost sunset and the view was astonishing. As she rounded the entrance Angelina saw a dark figure standing on the edge of the parapet. Smiling craftily to herself she pulled her wand and conjured a small yellow bird. Hiding beyond the entrance, she directed the tiny bird toward Snape. She could hardly contain her laughter as the bird chirped shrilly and flitted in Snape's face.<p>

"What the…?" swiping his arms wildly he attempted to rid himself of the nuisance. With a flick of her wand she made the bird land on top of Snape's head. Spinning around angrily, he spotted Angelina at the doorway.

"Hey! Get this damn bird!" he yelled, as the tiny thing continued to chirp in his face and peck him experimentally. Angelina fell against the stone wall, weak with amusement. Pulling his wand swiftly Snape cursed the bird and it exploded in a puff of smoke.

"You didn't have to hurt him!" Angelina protested in mock irritation as she joined Severus in staring across the grounds to the faraway mountains. He looked down at her and had to glance away quickly. The sun was setting on her face and the golden sunlight made her skin glow even brighter than it usually did. The trees reflected themselves in her dark brown eyes and her long dark lashes framed their almond shape flawlessly. She looked down and stepped back quickly in fear; it was a long way down. Severus looked down at her curiously.

"We're pretty far up here…" A small smile crossed his face and he reached out and took her arm lightly. Pulling her back to where she had been before, he offered her his arm. She smiled up at him and wrapped her arm around his. They both resumed their appreciation of the sunset, arm in arm.


	10. Chapter 10: Realization

Twilight was beginning to fall and the sky was turning a subterranean shade of azure. Angelina's eyes gazed unfocused on the jade green of the faraway hills as she quietly mused,

"Do you ever wonder when this peace will be broken?" Her question caught his attention and quickly brought him out of the contentment of a moment before.

"What makes you ask that?" A strange sadness overcame him. It was if the blackness of reality had finally found his light. Since Angelina had come to Hogwarts a tiny ray of light had begun to break down the stone wall that Severus had long ago erected around his emotions. For the first few weeks he had forced himself to take no notice of the feeling that her smile gave him but now there was no denying it. Not that anything would come of it. Severus would not let his thoughts even stray to that dangerous land of wishful thinking. Not that he could control his dreams.

"Blimey, I dunno. I have this _feeling_ that… You know that sense of foreboding that you get sometimes? Like you're just certain that something bad is going to happen soon? Not just bad, like an argument with a friend, or something like that, but actually horrible. Ever since the accident with Madame, I've had that feeling. That her death was just the beginning. You know how in music they have crescendos? Where the music is soft and pleasant and hardly worth noticing but then, before you know it, it grows into an obscenely loud frenzy of discordant sounds? I feel like we're at the beginning of one and we'll be at _forte_ sooner than we know it." Her voice trailed off quietly as she continued to ponder the perilous future. Although eerie, Severus thought her description of the situation was amazingly accurate, not to mention eloquent. Struggling to keep his tone steady and calm, he attempted to placate her fears by directly addressing the horror that they both knew she had been referring to.

"I think it will be better than last time. We have more knowledge of what He's doing and we are much better prepared." _And if I do my job right, less people will die this time. _Angelina finally turned from the hills and gave him a small grin.

"You don't have to try and make me feel better. I'm a big girl." Their previous conversation was quickly pushed to the back of his mind as she turned her body to face him completely. The speed at which she could change temperaments never ceased to amaze, or excite him. She looked up at him, her eyes now clear and earnest.

"I'm sorry I'm being such a downer. We might as well be happy while we can, and honestly Severus… can I tell you something?" her voice was quiet, and almost, but not quite, a tad bit coy. Her face was so close to his that he could almost count her eyelashes, feel her warmth, touch her lips with his own. Yet he controlled himself and answered just as quietly,

"Of course."

Her answer amazed him, shocked him to his very core, for as much as he had come to terms with his own feelings, he had never even dared to wonder how she felt.

"_You_ make me happy, Severus."

Her words remained in the room long after the sound had disappeared. For one of the very first times in his life, Severus threw caution to the wind.

"Lina…" His hand grazed her shoulder lightly. Angelina could feel goosebumps rise along her arm at his touch. The light material of her robe slid off her shoulder as his fingers continued to move against her skin. She looked up at him shyly. His eyes were dark, full of an emotion that she wouldn't even dream of guessing at. He moved slowly down toward her trembling lips. He touched his lips to hers softly. They slowly broke away, both of their cheeks flushed with passion. Unable to resist, he lifted her chin and indulged in her lips yet again. She leaned her body into his; the feel of his strength took her breath away. His hands moved down to her waist and gripped her tightly as their kiss deepened. They separated slowly and Severus began to open his mouth to explain himself. His voice was low and quiet.

"I'm sorry, I..." Angelina held up a soft finger to his mouth and pressed her face to his chest and held him. Severus felt as though he were dreaming. Never in his life had he ever felt so much emotion. Holding her in his arms was like holding happiness. It was at this moment that Severus completely realized what he had, what he felt. There was no way that his life would ever be the same. Every worry, every problem that he had to deal with on a daily basis melted away in this moment and he only knew one thing. He wanted to be with Angelina Johnson for the rest of his days.


	11. Chapter 11: Losing Control

**A/N: I apologize so much for the unexpected hiatus! Life has been busy but this story has called to me again and I find myself writing at 2 in the morning utterly exhausted but unable to sleep. Thank you to all of my loyal readers and reviewers!:)**

"Now that we're finished with that, how have you been, Severus?" Dumbledore enquired of him lightly. Even though it was Dumbledore's typical question, one that he always asked the night of a meeting, this time Severus sensed a difference. Sure enough, when he looked up, Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling. _Damn this man._

"The same as always, Headmaster." He immediately knew that his customary response wasn't fooling Dumbledore who seemed to want to make Snape admit something.

"Hm, if you say so. I've just noticed a subtle change in two members of my staff lately and…" Dumbledore allowed his voice to trail off suggestively. Severus remained silent. Seeing that Severus wasn't going to tell him anything he let go his words of restraint, anyway.

"Just remember your position right now. And how _careful_ you always must be. But God, she is beautiful."

Dumbledore's ambiguous caution rose Snape's hackles. The latter complimentary part of Dumbledore's statement fell on deaf ears as Snape's inwardly cursed Dumbledore for the unnecessary warning. Severus needed no reminding of how potentially dangerous his and Angelina's relationship was. He was painfully, no, agonizingly aware of that every second of every day. Fighting the urge to leave the office immediately, he bowed his head in a curt nod and then asked blandly,

"May I leave now?" Dumbledore nodded tiredly and gave a silent assent. Severus left without another word and headed to his office to place his protective wards before taking his leave of the castle for the night.

Severus had almost made it down to the dungeons, almost.

"Snape!" Angelina's voice called from behind. It had gone without saying that they would continue to use surnames in public. From the outside, it would be impossible for anyone (except apparently Dumbledore) to guess that their last names now sounded clumsy and inappropriate in each other's mouth. Slowly, Snape turned around, his mind racing for a logical excuse. For Angelina, of course, did not know of his second life.

"Johnson." He acknowledged her presence swiftly and continued down to his office. Angelina quickened her step to catch up with him.

"I need to pick up some ginger from your office; I completely forgot to visit the apothecary today." That entire statement was complete rubbish and they both knew it. It was nothing more than a guise, a cover up that would assuage any suspicions if anyone happened to be observing them at the moment.

Once they reached the safety of his office she immediately embraced him. However, the burning on his left forearm told him that he must leave soon, that he probably should've already left by now. Separating himself from her, he turned his face away.

"I'm late for a meeting with Dumbledore, I just came down here to set the wards." Knowing that his excuse was inept he waited with bated breath for her reaction.

"Didn't you just come down from his office…?" her voice was not angry, or mistrustful. It was just simply confused.

"I was on my way there when I realized that I had forgotten to lock the office." There was no way that she would believe him, his words were bald and spoken quickly, two perfect trademarks of a bad lie. Forcing himself to face her, he read her expression. Angelina knew that something was not being said, he could tell it in the way her eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. Severus braced himself for the barrage of questions that would inevitably come, that had to come because he was now one hundred percent sure that she knew that he was… maybe not lying, but definitely bending the truth a bit. The seconds stretched on into what seemed to be an eternity, and then she spoke.

"Oh alright, I'll let you go then. I promised Pomona I'd come have a brew with her tonight anyway." She touched her lips softly to his cheek and was gone. Severus was left more than a little bit disconcerted. He would have almost preferred it if she had questioned him openly, right there and then. The fact that she knew that he was lying but kept it completely to herself bothered him. The amount of trust that she showed him absolutely terrified him for it made his deception that much heavier to bear. But what was the alternative? There was no way that he would ever allow her access to that treacherous and dark part of his life. For darkness has a way of completely destroying beauty and happiness. Shaking his head, he muttered an incantation and left the office, rubbing his arm as he swept toward the great doors that marked the boundary between safety and the forever unknown.

* * *

><p>Damn these white peacocks. Severus hated the Malfoy Manor. He arrived at the grand entrance irritated and exhausted. Raising his fist, he gave the door two solid knocks. He stepped back as the door was thrown open by none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. Laughing quite insanely, she leaned on the doorframe and denied him entry.<p>

"Ah Snape! What are you doing here tonight?" Severus sighed inwardly as he realized that she was going to attempt to make his life difficult.

"Bellatrix, cut the silly games, and let me in." Severus kept his voice as bored and uninterested as he could but she would not relent.

"Have you heard what I've found? An entrance to Hogwarts!" she swayed against the doorframe and her eyes protruded quite madly.

"Good for you." It was becoming even more difficult to keep his voice uninterested as the mocking quality in her voice angered him immeasurably. His mind flashed to that morning on the lawn where an oak casket lay surrounded by mourners covered in a bouquet of red-orange poppies. Unable to restrain himself he spat,

"I also know what else you did that morning. That shitty cover up didn't fool me. I wonder how the Dark Lord would feel if I enlightened him on how his little demented princess messed up and got herself discovered. Oh, I would hardly think that he would care, since you covered your tracks, but didn't you tell him that you met no one on your search? It's a small lie but you do know how the Dark Lord _hates_ being lied to."

Bellatrix's eyes gleamed with rage, but she stepped aside and let him in without another word. Making his way to the large room with the polished table he instantly regretted his outburst. _I just made life potentially much more difficult for myself and made a sure enemy. What happened to your self-control, Severus?_

* * *

><p>Anger lapped at Severus unendingly as he listened to Bellatrix's arrogant report. As he had predicted, she made no mention of coming upon (or killing) anyone in her search. However, Severus was brought out of his anger by the Dark Lord's next announcement.<p>

"I want no one to start getting their own ideas about entering Hogwarts, however. When we do that is a decision that is solely up to myself and any that even attempt to go against my wishes, shall die." The looks that a moment before had been excited at the prospect of a major takeover now turned to a restless disappointment. The Dark Lord looked around the table with something like amusement on his face.

"Do not despair, my loyal followers! I have an attack planned for probably the most…ah what is the word? Industrial. I have an attack planned for the busiest and most industrial magical area in Britain." The room was again silent as everyone attempted to guess at where.

"I've been thinking that it's time to make ourselves a bit more visible. Make people a little more _aware_ of what we're capable of. _Remind_ them that we can strike anywhere, at any time. On Friday we shall ravage Diagon Alley!" The room erupted in cheers at the prospect of unrestrained bloodshed.


	12. Chapter 12: Comfort

**A/N: I know these ridiculous gaps in between updates must be frustrating and I apologize :/ I will never abandon this story though, so don't worry :)**

"What do I do? The Dark Lord has never planned something of this magnitude before." It was late and the castle was asleep. Severus had immediately called on Dumbledore upon his return to Hogwarts. Dumbledore, though calm, listened to Snape with a growing sadness in his bright blue eyes. Severus sat in the chair opposite the desk with his head in his hands.

"I mean, I have… had to watch people die in front of me. But to actually be the one… I cannot. I will not." Severus's mind was numb with fear. Throughout his years of feigned service to the Dark Lord, he had been able to avoid personally causing significant harm to another person. He had to witness it, sometimes even facilitate it, but at the end of the day, it was never his wand that casted the spells of torture, injury, and death. Now however, for the first time, Voldemort had enlisted all of his Death Eaters for an all-out direct attack. If the Dark Lord suspected that Snape was attempting to avoid hurting people during the attack, he would undoubtedly question Snape's loyalty, yet Severus knew that he would never be able to fatally harm anyone, for the people that were likely to be in Diagon alley on Friday were to be average shoppers. Many of whom Severus would probably know. Severus was brought out of his personal thoughts by Dumbledore's next words.

"There is a way, I think." Snape lifted his head, his attention now fully focused on the older wizard in front of him.

"If you were to attack but only use let's say, Stunning or Disarming spells, I think that you would effectively be able to fool Voldemort without causing anyone any serious damage. However, you would have to keep everything nonverbal and stay as far away from Him as possible during the attack, for Voldemort is extremely clever and would instantly be able to catch on if you allowed him to observe you closely enough." Severus mulled this over in his mind. Dumbledore did have a point. Here was a way to still appear legitimate to Voldemort while avoiding injuring anyone.

"That… that is ingenious, headmaster." Severus had only appreciated Dumbledore more once in his life and that was when Dumbledore first rescued him from the Dark Arts.

"Thank you, Severus. But as I said, it will still be incredibly risky and you will need to focus completely." A wave of pity for the wretched man sitting before him suddenly washed over Dumbledore. Despite his tough exterior, Severus was still very much human, and bore the full emotional weight of his situation.

"I need to go to sleep. But…" Dumbledore looked away respectfully as Snape voice cracked. Snape stopped at the door and turned back. Looking Dumbledore straight in the eyes, he finished his sentence.

"Thank you… thank you so much."

* * *

><p>As Severus made his way back to his office a sudden desire for Angelina struck him. It was nothing sexual, he just needed her warmth and comfort, and there was no way he was going to be able to sleep alone tonight. Stopping in an alcove he brought out his wand and conjured a tiny yellow bird, identical to the one that she had first teased him with that faraway day in the Astronomy Tower. With a flick of his wand, he sent the little bird to her. Hoping fervently that she was still awake, he leaned against the cool stone and attempted to gather his thoughts. Everything seemed to be getting worse. The Dark Lord was getting more and more aggressive with every passing day and the feeling of impending dread that had begun to haunt him kept increasing every day. His thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of a transparent animal that bounded by him lightly. He loved Angelina's Patronus. It was a large female wolf with a beautiful gleaming silver coat that reminded him of Angelina's dark hair. He turned his head to follow its progress and watched as it continued down the corridor until it disappeared in a stretch of moonlight. Severus started in the opposite direction that he had originally been headed in, toward the Hospital Wing.<p>

* * *

><p>"Angelina?" Severus entered the dark room quietly. There was a small light at the corner of the room, past the silent rows of pale hospital beds.<p>

"I'm in here, Sev." Angelina's soft voice called out to him. Despite his day, Severus felt his heart lift as he saw her. She was sitting in her bed with her hair piled on top of her head and her tiny glasses perched on the very tip of her nose. She noticed his look and chastised him indignantly.

"Don't make fun of me! I've just discovered a hidden cache of medical books in one of the storage closets and I can't stop reading. Did you know that bowtruckle venom can be used to treat severe cystic acne?"

"No, I didn't Ange." Apparently he didn't do a good enough job of hiding the fatigue in his voice because her eyebrows quickly furrowed in concern. She could tell that he was hurting.

"What's wrong?" A simple question, but one that couldn't be answered nearly as simply, and actually couldn't be answered at all. How he hated his deception, but how necessary he knew it was. Because keeping her safe in this relationship was his number one priority and keeping her completely ignorant was the only way he could do that.

"I'm just… I'm just tired, Angelina." His voice held all of the defeat that he had experienced that day. Unquestioningly, Angelina blew out the candle that she had been reading by and motioned for him to join her. Propping herself up, she took his head in her lap and ran her fingers through his hair, soothing him to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13: What He Did

It was Friday and everyone was assembled. The Great Hall of Malfoy Manor was packed to the brim with the foulest of humanity. Snub nosed aristocrats rubbed shoulders with unintelligent brutes in a terrible co-op of evil. All eyes were focused at the center of the room where Voldemort stood unwaveringly. Nagini wound her way sinuously around his feet, her forked tongue darting in and out quickly.

"Kill everyone you see. I want havoc. Everyone needs to see what we are capable of." Voldemort's voice filled the entire hall echoingly. He looked on in approval as many of the men nodded favorably at his words and made crude comments among themselves.

It was time. The attack of Diagon Alley was to begin.

As Voldemort looked around with something akin to happiness, he added to Snape, who stood slightly off to the side,

"I want to see you out there too Severus, I haven't seen you kill in a while." Even though he recoiled on the inside, Severus kept his face blank as he answered smoothly,

"Of course, my Lord."

* * *

><p>Severus guessed that maybe even the Dark Lord hadn't anticipated the chaos that now ensued. Having no organized plan, curses flew in all directions. Even though the inhabitants of Diagon Alley had been caught horribly off-guard, they did not shrink from defending themselves. Trying to find an inconspicuous place in which to position himself, Severus moved slowly up the street with his wand at the ready. Dodging quickly he inwardly flinched as an older man dropped dead beside him, felled by a casual spell from Bellatrix's wand. She was surely a sight to behold. Skipping up and down the street she regularly casted spells of fire and torture toward the innocent. Forcing himself to turn away from her carnage, he spotted a dark and seemingly abandoned store entryway and hurried toward it. This however, would prove to be a fatal mistake.<p>

"GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE! I'll kill you!" A tall balding wizard appeared almost directly in front of him. His robes were frayed and his hair was thinning. Snape's eyes quickly picked up a quick movement from behind the man. It was a woman, shaking in fear, crouching behind an unsteady desk. It was then that Severus realized _he_ was the source of her fear. Swallowing dryly, Severus took a small step forward as he attempted to explain himself, to explain that he would not hurt them. That he wasn't a killer.

"Avada Kedavra!" Unexpectedly the bald man shot a misaimed spell straight at Severus.

"I told you I'd kill you! I don't care what you'd do to me, but by God, you're not getting my wife!" Sweat ran down the wizard's face in bullets and his eyes bulged like a madman's. The entire shop smelled sour, like fear.

"Look, you need to calm…" Severus raised his wand quickly to deflect another fatal curse. _Time to rethink, Severus. This man isn't going to listen to anything you have to say._ Severus was in the process of deciding whether or not to stun the fear-crazed wizard when a horrible voice sounded from behind him, from the doorway.

"What are you waiting for? Kill this scum, Severus." The voice was unmistakably that of the Dark Lord.

There was no option. He had to now kill this man. He had failed; he had allowed himself to be discovered by the Dark Lord.

"I never knew you to be one for hesitation. Kill him. Now." It was unmistakably an order. No, a threat. It mean, kill him now or I'll kill you. For that was how the Dark Lord operated, you obeyed him or you died. Simple. Snape's head rung with an impossible pressure. He had to now kill this man. Nothing made sense in this moment, nothing. He had to now kill this man. Raising his wand, he muttered the incantation and the wizard fell in a small heap on the dusty ground. The woman leapt up and whimpered shrilly. A scream of despair. A scream of disbelief. Severus left the shop with her cry ringing in his ears.

* * *

><p>She pulled his head into her lap as he kneeled in front of her. Her lap became damp and she realized with a jolt that he was crying. Forcing her shaking hand to still, she ran her fingers through his dark hair as she tried to calm him.<p>

"Sev, what…what happened, why are you so upset?" She could not hide the distress in her voice. She had never in her wildest dreams thought that she would witness Severus Snape crying. His sadness was starting to cause her eyes to burn with unshed tears. He looked up at her, his face pale and contorted with an emotion that she could not interpret.

"Me, you. We can't… we can't do this Angelina. It's too dangerous, it's too dangerous. I'm… dangerous." The words hit Angelina forcefully.

"What are you talking about, Severus? I know… I know it's unconventional, but we'll be okay. Why are you talking like this?" Tears were now running down her face fast and thick. She could not understand him; just yesterday he had been fine, more affectionate than ever.

"NO, WE CAN'T!" his voice rent the air loudly. Had she been any lesser of a woman, Angelina would have been afraid, for the power in Severus' voice was daunting. However, she leaned down and rested her forehead to his as their tears mingled.

"Please, please, don't do this Severus. I don't understand. Just tell me what's wrong; I can fix it for you, Sev. I can fix it, just tell me." She pleaded with him desperately.

"No, you can't fix it. It's me… I can't, Angelina." She let out a small sob as she realized how serious he was. Her mind raced over the events of the past couple of weeks to figure out what she had done, she had to have done something to cause him to be this upset. Nothing, nothing at all came to mind and pure panic began to take over.

"Why, why are you doing this? Don't you care about me?" her voice was harsh as she questioned him brutally. Severus looked up at her angrily and she looked down in shame.

"Yes, I care about you. That's exactly why we can't… we can't be together. You deserve somebody better. I'm not what you need… Angelina, please."

"I don't care about what you think I need, Severus! I love you!" Severus froze at the last three words that she uttered. Before he could protest, she sunk down from the edge of his bed and kissed him full on the mouth. For one terrifying second he remained motionless but then began to kiss her back even as he continued to cry.


	14. Chapter 14: No Turning Back

**A/N: I'm back :) Enjoy!**

Severus placed his arms underneath her and pulled her back onto the bed. Angelina could feel the heat between them increase tenfold as he began to deepen their kiss. She could taste their mingled tears in his kisses. He assaulted her lips shamelessly with a longing and a passion that was almost tangible. Even though she was still thoroughly confused by his inexplicable behavior, she found her thoughts interrupted by his hands moving against her bare back. Her thin lacy top was off in an instant as Severus continued mercilessly. They had of course had relations before but they never had actually engaged in sex. Severus had always stopped at a certain point. Angelina had never questioned him, for she sensed a light insecurity that accompanied the cessation each time. It was another one of those things that Angelina noticed about Severus but had decided not to dwell on. Any further contemplation was abruptly halted as he moved from her mouth down to her neck and his hands rested on her breasts softly. Whereas a second ago, he had moved against her with power and control, he now traced her skin with the gentlest of touches. She drew in a sharp intake of breath as his thumbs found her nipples and teased them lightly. Severus ceased kissing her and whispered into her neck,

"Your skin, Ange…"

Then, the softness was gone and so were her panties. In one quick movement he entered her fully and she could not help but to whimper. Faster and faster he moved within her as she arched her back in lust. Angelina could not suppress her cries of need as she completely offered herself to him. Gripping her hips with all of his strength, he flooded her with his seed as she lost herself in the beautiful light.

* * *

><p>Deliberately, Angelina walked down to the solitary grave by the edge of the lake. There was no way she could even begin to attempt to understand Severus's behavior last night. Innumerous conflicting thoughts ran through her mind as she recalled Severus's terrible sadness that preceded their incredible lovemaking. Nothing could make her forget the ominous things that he had said before she admitted her love. Angelina knew that she was being kept in the dark about something huge, something dreadful, but until last night she could not bring herself to think about it. There was so much she did not know about him, so much that she completely ignored. Her love for him had distracted her, blinded her from reality and last night was a painful reminder of everything that she unconsciously sought to avoid. As she sat on the dark grass near the small headstone she felt tears spring hotly into her eyes. <em>What are you doing, Ange? <em>The mixture of confusion and anguish that she felt in light of Severus's obvious distress was almost too much to bear. Shaking her head and blinking back tears, Angelina decided that she was going to confront Severus as soon as she made it back to the castle. Drawing her dark thin wand slowly from beneath her robes she gently began to trace an elaborate pattern in the air in front of her. Thin, green tendrils began to appear where her wand outlined and delicate pearl flowers began to intertwine themselves throughout the tendrils. Over and over Angelina rotated her wand until she had created a wreath of thin light green vines covered in tiny white flowers. Gracefully sweeping her wand, the striking wreath landed gently at the head of the stone embedded in the dark earth.

Turning away slowly, Angelina began up the path toward the castle. As she turned to give the distant dark forest a last look a strong arm encircled her waist. Angelina started and spun around to face her attacker. Relief washed over her entire being as she found herself face to face with Severus Snape.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" he asked quietly. Angelina laughed forcibly and apologized.

"I'm sorry; I've just been feeling a bit skittish lately." Severus didn't even have ask what she was doing out here; he knew that she had been visiting Madame Pomfrey's grave. The grave was far too close to the forest for comfort, however.

"Let me know the next time you want to go down there, I'll come with you." Not recognizing his intention, Angelina leaned into him and replied,

"Nah, it's okay. I like going by myself. It helps me clear my head." Severus clarified rather harshly.

"No. I don't think you should go down there by yourself." Looking up at the darkening sky he added, "Especially not this late." Angelina stiffened as she realized that he was trying to forbid her from visiting the grave of her late mentor and friend.

"What are you talking about? I am a fully capable witch who can look after herself. And the grounds are safe; I don't know why you're so worried." As Severus couldn't reveal the reason of his anxiety to her he just stated firmly,

"I don't want you going near the forest by yourself, Angelina." Angelina separated herself from his embrace and looked at him rather angrily.

"Well are you at least going to give me a reason? You're not making any sense lately Severus! What do you want from me?!" Severus's apprehension was getting the best of his temper and he found it difficult to deal with the confused woman before him.

"I just don't want you to. I don't have to give you a reason. Just stay away from the damn forest!" He growled at her threateningly. Angelina glared at him with a mixture of rage and hurt.

"You can't tell me what to do. Don't ever think you can. I can take care of myself!" with this she spun away from him and headed to the castle alone. He set his jaw and followed her up the path, making sure to keep her within his sight the entire time.

* * *

><p>After a sleepless night filled with dark dreams of betrayal, Severus swept to the infirmary early the next morning intending to attempt to assuage Angelina's fears and put things right. He had three bottles of Skele-Gro in his arms. She had been asking for more for a while and now was as good a time as any to drop it by. As he entered the hospital wing, he was surprised to find it completely empty. Calling her name quietly, he moved toward the back of the main room, where her personal quarters were.<p>

"Johnson. Johnson, are you back there? I brought that Skele-Grow that you've been requesting…" Not being able to resist, Severus turned the handle of her room and pushed the door open only to find the room empty and Angelina's bed a disheveled mess of pillows and tangled sheets. _Where could she be?_ As Severus sustained his gaze over her disordered bed the sunlight that had previously been streaming through her small window quickly dissipated as a cloud drifted over the sun outside. A peculiar thought passed through his mind and he sought to dispel it. _There's no way she would go back to visit the grave. Not after he had expressly forbidden her to do so._ However, his stomach clenched tightly and his feeling of unease grew by the second as he turned to look more carefully out of the window. The lake looked almost black and the fringe of the forest looked more hostile than ever. The sun was completely obscured now, and the sky churned in a palette of grey as it got steadily darker. _Why is it so dark out? It's nine in the morning…_ And then everything came together and his breath caught in his throat. _Death Eaters._ Severus swept out of the room, cursing under his breath, headed for the forest.

As the darkness got deeper, Severus got more afraid. His gait began to quicken until he was sprinting and the trees were nothing but black blurs that surrounded him on each side. As he traveled further and further into the forest the trees got closer together and he found himself stumbling over gnarled root systems that seemed to be hindering him purposefully. The air was distinctly colder and he began to see the icy shadow of his breath as it began to tear out of him in sharp gasps. And then he heard the laugher. And the terrified screaming. Not feeling his utter exhaustion, he plummeted forward in desperation. Closer and closer the painful sounds got until he broke into the clearing and a sight from the most horrifying of his nightmares came into view. Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback stood over Angelina as she lay shivering on the ground before them. Her face was streaked with dirt, tears, and Severus realized with a blow, blood. Her hair was tangled around her face but it did not conceal her wounded mouth. Blood poured out from between her lips and Severus realized that she was biting her own tongue. He had seen this many times before; the Cruciactus Curse. Everything, everything screamed in his body, his mind, to kill Bellatrix and Fenrir exactly where they stood. However, a tiny part of his conscious brain told him that if he did that, he would be spelling out his and Angelina's inevitable deaths. He couldn't even begin to think of how to handle this situation.

"Can I get her soon, Madam Lestrange? I want her to be able to feel…" Fenrir's malevolent growl was drowned out by Bellatrix's loud maniacal squeal.

"Ahhhh Snape! Lookit what I found! Have you come to join in the fun?! Crucio!" Bellatrix screeched as she turned her wand back on Angelina. Angelina whimpered piteously as the spell ravaged itself up and down her broken body once more.

"STOP!" the word ripped itself out of his throat as Severus stepped forward and raised his wand to Bellatrix, blocking the spell.

"What are you doing? Get out of my way. She's probably nothing but a little mudblood whore!" Bellatrix moved again to continue her torture and Snape once again deflected it. The force of his defense was so great that Bellatrix was thrown back several feet into the unyielding trunk of an evergreen. Fenrir stepped out from the shadows and growled menacingly at Snape. However, Bellatrix recovered quickly and came at Snape angrily.

"Why do you want me to stop?! What is it to you if I torture her until her mind snaps? Who is she to you?" Bellatrix's eyes glinted demonically. Severus knew what she was waiting for and he felt as though it would be impossible not to give it to her at this point._ I love her. She loves me._ _She is mine._ Silence reigned around the clearing as Bellatrix's glittering eyes bored into Snape's.

"She is one of my colleagues. She is also a sympathizer. _She is on our side!_" The words escaped his mouth before he could stop them. Bellatrix looked at him for a split second with genuine surprise but then hastily called him out.

"How do I know you're not just saying that to stop me?" she asked suspiciously. Realizing that he was being given an opportunity to save Angelina's life he improvised expertly.

"Whether or not you believe me is none of my concern. However, if you don't leave immediately I will report you to the Dark Lord. I'm sure that he'll find your reckless torture of a follower worthy of praise and admiration. You are also drawing extremely unnecessary attention upon us. What do you think they'll think up at the castle when she returns in this state?" Snape was in his element now. His ability to lie had saved his life many a time before. However much more was at stake now and he felt the words flow out of his mouth more smoothly than ever before. This statement did it. Bellatrix lowered her wand, glanced contemptuously at the woman on the ground and grabbed Fenrir's arm.

Severus watched them retreat warily and waited until he heard the distant crack of their departure before collapsing on the ground by Angelina's side. He lifted her head tenderly as she sobbed softly. Severus quieted her,

"Shhh, Lina. You're gonna be fine... Just shhhh…" Severus looked up quickly as he heard a nearby rustle of bushes. Sturgis Podmore emerged from behind a large pine, his eyes wide as he took in the scene before him.

"Wha…what happened to her, Severus? I wasn't that late… we haven't seen traces of anyone yet so I figured…" Podmore blustered clumsily.

"Well you figured wrong. She was attacked!" The words were dangerously low and emitted through clenched teeth.

"By who? Surely not a Death Eater…?" Sturgis was thrown backward as Severus sprung up and turned his wand on him in a rage.

"YES, a Death Eater. TWO, in fact! They could have killed her!" Aside from being extremely afraid of the man before him, Podmore was also confused. Why was Snape all jumpy over this one woman? He had seen Snape deal with much worse unflinchingly.

"I'm sorry… just calm down… what do you need me to do?" Podmore inquired in a shaking voice.

"Send a Protronus to Minerva and tell her to meet us immediately in the hospital wing." Snape's anger had abated, his attention turned from Podmore back to Angelina. Severus gathered the shaking woman in his arms, lifted her easily, and headed doggedly out of the trees toward the castle.


	15. Chapter 15: Damage Done

Fervently wishing that he wouldn't meet anyone on the journey to the hospital wing, he wrapped her more tightly in his arms as he crossed into the grand entrance. Thankfully, his journey was solitary and he reached the hospital wing uninterrupted. Minerva was there as expected. The lines around her thin mouth sharpened as she wordlessly took in the sight before her. Recovering quickly, she motioned to a nearby bed. Severus followed her gesture and laid Angelina down gently. She barely stirred. As Minerva began to examine Angelina's injuries Severus stood at the head of her bed, staring.

"What happened, Severus?" Minerva quietly asked as she examined Angelina's lower body for damage.

"I… I found her in the forest. Minerva, Bellatrix and Fenrir were there." This simple statement caused a flash of panic to cross the older woman's face. Bellatrix and Fenrir were the two most infamous Death Eaters alive.

"Where was the guard? Dumbledore told me that there was supposed to be someone in the forest at all times!" Minerva stated fearfully as she stared at a particularly nasty gash that spanned its way across Angelina's right temple.

"Bastards." Severus snarled. He found it difficult to look at the deep cut, even though he knew that it could be healed easily. Minerva glanced up at him. His eyes were fixated on Angelina's face and they were darker than ever. Deciding that now was not the best time to question him, Minerva turned her full attention on the girl before her.

"Severus, do you mind leaving for a bit? I have some work to do." Severus looked for a second like he was going to object but gave a slight nod and swept out of the room.

* * *

><p>Minerva closed the door behind herself as she spoke in a low voice.<p>

"She'll be okay. Thank God the Cruciactus Curse rarely leaves any lasting damage. I've healed her up nicely but I expect she'll be a bit shaky." Severus nodded his head appreciatively and thanked the older witch.

"Thank you Minerva." She nodded curtly and hurried away. Had Severus not been preoccupied with his own emotions, he would have noticed that Minerva was headed in the opposite direction of her quarters near the Gryffindor common room. He would have noticed that she was headed straight for Dumbledore's office.

* * *

><p>Angelina opened her eyes to Severus standing over her bed, staring into the distance.<p>

"Sev…" her voice was hoarse and her throat was sore from her screams earlier. Severus looked down at her and a rare smile crossed his face fleetingly.

"Angelina…" he moved down and kissed her now unmarked forehead lightly. "Don't you ever, ever scare me like that again." Severus's smile disappeared as he noticed the seriousness with which she looked at him. A feeling of dread came over him as he realized what she was about to ask him. She moved straight into her questions, her voice becoming steadier as she continued relentlessly.

"Why were they in the forest? Why didn't you tell me why you didn't want me to go in there in the first place? Don't you think had I known that Death Eaters might be lurking around I'd have been a little more cautious? WHY did you talk to them like that? Like you knew them? And why did you tell them that I was 'one of you'? Whatever that means. What does that mean, Severus?!" The tirade of demands ended suddenly as her voice cracked painfully and she turned away, unable to look at him in the face. He stood there for a long while before he began in a deliberate, calculating voice,

"Angelina, you must have imagined that… I didn't say anything to th…" he was interrupted by her violently,

"DO NOT lie to me! I'm not one of your students, one of your inferiors. Why don't you trust me? Why don't you trust me?" her voice turned from one filled with rage to one filled with hurt. She looked at him square in the eyes and Severus found that he could not meet her gaze. Angelina's voice softened as her hand reached from underneath the sheets to grasp his with surprising strength. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears as she forced the words through her teeth.

"Sev, please talk to me. All of your strange disappearances and dark moods. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to meddle and you always treated me perfectly but I noticed them. I noticed them. I love you, I do. But… but if you don't tell me what's going on with you then… we're finished. I can't trust somebody who doesn't trust me." There. There it was. The ultimatum. Severus' face drained of all color leaving it as pale as ever. His hand tightened on hers as the thought of being without her physically hurt. But how could he tell her what he was, what he had done and expect for her not to leave him just the same? But shouldn't he at least try? Severus turned to face her slowly as the words left his mouth, hardly audible.

"I am one of the Dark Lord's most trusted Death Eaters and a spy for Albus Dumbledore. I have done terrible things that I can never repeat but I now serve the Order. And the Light."

Contrary to his expectations, Angelina's face was a mask of grim acceptance. Severus should have known that she would have already figured this out; she was a sharp woman, after all. Her next question, however, caught him by surprise and exposed issues that had not yet even crossed his mind.

"So." She mused quietly. "To save my life, you told Bellatrix that I was sympathetic to... to Voldemort?" she used the name quickly as if it was dangerous venom. But still, she said it. Severus answered her silently, nodding his head in assent.

"Doesn't it make sense then that she is going to tell …_him_ of this new 'follower'?" Severus' face was still, however he had put two and two together.

"I mean, maybe she will Angelina but I think that I…" She cut him off sharply.

"No, Severus. Bellatrix is nothing but hate. She's going to tell _him_ about me and then…" her voice trailed off and she stared off toward the infirmary office unseeingly. He was at a loss for words. The small bit of comfort that he had felt when he had first saved her disappeared completely as he digested the truth in her words. Voldemort would undoubtedly want to meet her and have her prove her allegiance to him. A quick image of a black twisted mark burned into soft brown flash tortured him briefly. Severus had just ruined her life. Trembling visibly, he reached out his hand to hers. Without looking at him she avoided his touch and turned away so that her back was facing him.

"Thank you, Severus, for saving me. But… I want to be alone right now." He stared at her form for a couple of seconds and then slowly bowed out of the room in sorrow.


	16. Chapter 16: Aftermath

**A/N: Yay! Summer is here and so are three new chapters :) Reviews are glorious forms of encouragement!**

Absolutely nothing made sense in Angelina's mind. Except that everything did. Severus's explanation fit perfectly. Sometimes she would approach Severus and for a split second he would react to her neutrally, with an almost unnatural lack of emotion until he realized that it was her. The one person that he loved. Not that he had explicitly expressed his love yet. But, Angelina knew that he did. It was in the way that he looked at her when he thought that she wasn't paying attention, a look filled with such intensity that Angelina always felt shaken by it. It was also in the way that he would embrace her. His embraces were always firm, possessive, and at times a tiny bit desperate. He would hold her as if he was afraid that she would disappear from him suddenly, or as if something or someone was always threatening to take her from him. And unlike most women, she did not begrudge his lack of verbalization. She had accepted that Severus was unlike other men.

That was at least, until now. Unable to stifle a painful cry Angelina forced her objecting body to move onto its back. She lay staring up at the enchanted ceiling of the Hospital Wing. Like the Great Hall, this room had been bewitched to mimic the conditions of the sky outside. Unbidden, Angelina recalled the day that Dumbledore had come to visit her in the Hospital Wing, months ago, back when Madame Pomfrey was still alive.

"_Hello, my dear. How are things going along today?" Dumbledore had asked her softly as she visibly struggled to remember the cleaning charm that would sanitize each narrow hospital bed._

"_Scourgify pur… purgere!" Angelina ineffectively swept her wand over the first bed and quickly started, embarrassed, when she noticed the Headmaster addressing her._

"_Headmaster! I did not notice you come in… I'm doing fine, I guess." She looked dispiritedly down at her failed cleaning job. Her cheeks began to burn._

"_You know? Cleaning spells have always seemed to be unnecessarily complicated to me. I assume you're attempting the Sanitizing Spell?" Dumbledore inquired kindly. _

"_Yes, yes. That's the one. I usually never have issues with spells; it's just the domestic ones that I haven't been able to ever master." Angelina knew that her justification sounded weak, but it was true. She had received top marks in every exam but had always found herself inept at even the most basic cleaning charms. She watched as Dumbledore brought out his own wand and performed the spell perfectly._

"_Scourgify Purgare!" They both watched as the sheets rearranged themselves._

"_All you need to remember is that cleaning spells usually require an extra flick at the end of the sweep of your wand. They just need a bit of specificity. And it's Purgare, not Purgere." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he watched her clean the next bed, effortlessly. He felt a particular fondness toward Angelina. She was young, but not reckless and innocent, but not naïve._

"_I was just about to take a turn around the Greenhouses, if you'd like to join me. I find them particularly enchanting at this time of the day." Angelina voiced a regretful and polite refusal._

"_I would love to Headmaster but I was planning on surprising Madame with a spotless Hospital Wing when she came back from her tea with Minerva. As you can probably tell, I'm a bit behind." Looking out of the window she glimpsed the golden sky and a sun that was just beginning its descent._

"_I wish I could though, the sky looks lovely." She looked a bit saddened and a sudden thought crossed Dumbledore's mind._

"_Well there's no reason that you can't enjoy it in here." He stated as he turned his head and his wand upward and started to recite a complex incantation. Angelina watched, fascinated as jets of yellow color continuously shot out of his wand and seemed to lodge themselves among the high beams of the ceiling. And then, they began to merge to form a blanket of golden hue._

"…_Mimicus Caelum." Dumbledore watched Angelina smile as the sky finally finished itself. She turned to him, her face bright._

"_Thank you so much, Headmaster! This is amazing! Is this the same enchantment that is cast on the Great Hall?" Dumbledore nodded his head and returned her smile. He twiddled his fingers at her as he exited the room to begin his walk. Turning back once more, he chuckled to himself when he saw Angelina with her face toward the sky, wonderment in her eyes._

Angelina came back to reality and found her eyes wet. Those days were over. The simple days, where her biggest worry was the inability to perform a cleaning charm were gone, perhaps never to return. Tonight, the stars were completely obscured by a murky fog that swirled with the wind that had picked up not soon after dark. Angelina attempted to set her fear aside and analyze the situation as logically as she could, for she inherently knew that the universe was granting her this night only to make her decision. Would she disassociate herself from Severus and rely on Dumbledore's protection against the dark inquiries that would inevitably come to collect her or would she stay with Severus and concoct a plan to appease the Dark Lord while retaining her true loyalties? Surprisingly, the former option seemed to not be an option at all. Angelina found herself unable to even begin to convince herself that she would be able to abandon Severus and leave him at the mercy of the Dark Lord. After all, it was her fault. She had ignored his commands to avoid the forest. She had fancied herself independent and headstrong. She had heard the whisperings of the unspoken plea in his voice and chosen to ignore it. _Please don't go into the forest Angelina. It is dangerous. You have no idea. I love you, I need you to stay safe. Please, please Angie._ She had chosen to get angry with him as opposed to actually considering why he would propose such a thing. It was stupid, childish and because of that, it was her life that Severus had to save. Whether she liked it or not, she was now implicated in this situation as she had caused it. Regret and guilt overwhelmed her being. Placing a cold hand against her burning eyes, Angelina sobbed in frustration and fear.

* * *

><p>It was now midnight. Gritting her teeth against the remnants of pain that still wracked her body, Angelina clutched the stiff white sheets beneath her and lifted herself out of the hospital bed. Sliding her wand off of the tiny metal bedside table, she tucked it behind her ear. The tangles and dirt that filled her hair were then made aware to her. Ignoring the horrible state which she knew she looked she started to move forward. Stopping every so often to rest against the cool stone, she made her way down to the dungeons. Finally making it to Severus's office door, Angelina knocked lightly. No response. Grabbing her wand, Angelina produced her silver Patronus with the same memory that she had recalled earlier while in the Hospital Wing. Almost instantaneously, the door in front of her was thrown open by a worried looking Severus. His arms went around her immediately, inspecting for damage. Angelina winced in pain as she attempted to explain herself.<p>

"Sev! Sev, I'm fine. I'm fine! Please!" Instantly, he released her and looked at her with haunted eyes.

"You're fine?" His voice was hoarse. Angelina felt tears threaten again but ignored them.

"I am. I just came to talk and apologize." _Dammit._ The tears mocked her and coursed down her cheeks.

"I also want to take a bath. I need a bloody bath." Through her tears, she laughed a bit hysterically that such ordinary things as baths could exist in such a broken world.

Angelina sat on the end of Severus's bed as he paced around the room.

"Firstly, I want to apologize so much, for everything that I accused you of. I realize that you were just trying to save me. I'm so sorry Sev, I acted so inappropriately." Severus jerked his head noncommittally and muttered,

"No matter, you were upset. And I… I deserved it." The sincerity with which he spoke broke her heart. How dare he think that he deserved those ignorant accusations that she had thrown at him. She was the one who deserved to be accused. She was the one who hadn't trusted him enough to listen.

"No, Severus Snape. I am the one who didn't listen to you. I am the one who went foolishly to Madame Pomfrey's grave last night. If you hadn't of come, I would surely be dead now. I'm so so so sorry… I'm naught but a silly girl, and you're such a good man, Severus." Angelina trailed off sadly. Severus came to her then, lifted her up, and held her in his arms.

"Angelina, I'm so sorry. I was just so… afraid in that moment. That I would lose you. I said the first thing that I thought of. I couldn't… I can't lose you." He looked down at her and lifted her chin with a finger and wiped her tears with a thumb.

"We will figure this out. I know the Dark Lord, I know how he operates. Don't worry." Severus suddenly found himself unable to say more because of a shooting pain that suddenly manifested itself on his left forearm. Angelina looked down at where she was embracing him in horror as his Dark Mark burned and writhed underneath her fingers.


	17. Chapter 17: The Games Begin

"Listen to me closely, Angelina. I have to go now. While I'm gone, I need you to clean up and get dressed. Dress modestly, in dark clothes. Leave your hair down. He might have me come back and get you. We need to be prepared just in case he does. He will interro… ask you questions. Just keep your answers simple. Do not assume anything. Remember, you are sympathetic to his cause. Do not make eye contact when answering questions. And most importantly, I need you to _keep your mind blank of any thoughts while speaking with him._" Severus's voice was clipped, short, and cold. Angelina forced herself to accept everything that he asked of her without question, except she could not help but confirm her fear with his last bequest.

"Keep my mind blank? How? Why? Severus… can he read minds?" Her voice did a poor job of concealing her fright.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Watching the flash of panic that crossed her face Severus knelt down and stared at her straight in the eyes. Now was the time to give her the confidence that he knew she did not feel. She had to succeed. Both of their lives depended on it.

"Angelina Grace Johnson. Look at me." His voice was firm. Her beautiful brown eyes locked on his.

"I know that this is sudden, terrifying, impossible. I know. But you can do this. We can do this together. When you are in front of him think of a black stone wall. Do not think of Dumbledore or Hogwarts or me. Think of a black wall. Answer simply. No emotion. I know you can do this. You are strong. I love you." A whisper of a kiss on her slightly open lips and then he swept out of the room without looking back. Forcing herself to not think of the three very important words that he just uttered to her, she spurred herself into motion. It was time to get presentable to meet the Dark Lord.

* * *

><p>Severus found it difficult to clear his mind as he swept down the long walk toward Malfoy Manor. Had it been foolish of him to tell her of his love right after he told her how pertinent it was for her to lack emotion? Probably. But then again, it was definitely not something that he had planned on telling her. It had slipped out. He had meant to reference his love of her strength to further assure her of her capabilities. <em>I love you<em>. Oh, he meant it of course. Before he had met Angelina he had never even thought himself capable of such an emotion. Now he felt it in full force, every second of every day. He loved her so much that it ached. Shaking his head angrily he effectively wiped himself of these thoughts. He reprimanded himself. Love was not to be thought about now. Survival was.

"Good evening, my Lord. I apologize for my tardiness, Dumbledore is difficult to elude at times." By referencing Dumbledore, Severus knew that he would avoid the Dark Lord's anger. The Dark Lord knew how important it was for Snape to keep Dumbledore unsuspecting. The Dark Lord nodded curtly and motioned for Severus to fall into step behind him. They began a slow pace out of the Great Room.

"I understand, Severus. It is quite important to keep Dumbledore ignorant, after all. I assume you know why you were summoned?" The cold voice questioned lightly.

"I apprehended Bellatrix and Greyback in the forest last night." Severus kept his answer simple.

"Yes. I am quite disappointed in Bella for going against my wishes and choosing to go into the forest without my knowledge or command. Sometimes I feel as though her bloodlust is a liability. I have punished her accordingly." The words flowed smoothly; there was no trace of anger at Bellatrix or remorse at her punishment in his voice. Severus made no response.

"In my… discussion with her before her punishment, however, she told me of the girl that she found in the forest and her subsequent encounter with you." They were now entering the grounds. Walking amongst the pale white peacocks, they moved toward the back lawns. Severus could see the Malfoy's miniature Quidditch pitch looming in the shadows.

"She told me of the claim of loyalty that you made on her behalf and also her suspicions of your deception. Who is the girl, Severus? Why did you claim her for one of us? And if she really does have intention to join us, why have you not brought her to me?" There. All of the questions were out. Severus had predicted them. The lies slipped off of his tongue perfectly. Severus was very good at lying.

"The girl that I found Bellatrix torturing in the forest is Angelina Johnson. I believe you are familiar with that name, Lord. I claimed her loyal because she is. Her family is an old pureblood family that originated in Africa. The only reason I had not brought her to you yet is because she is Dumbledore's new infirmary nurse and still is under his acute surveillance. We had been in communication about her potential alliance with you; our plans had just not come to fruition yet. I have questioned her intensely to determine her motives and I assure you, she is quite sympathetic to the plight you are so nobly seeking to solve." The Dark Lord took his explanation without comment. They had now made it onto the Quidditch pitch and were headed toward a dark bundle that lay just under the centre ring on the home side of the field. As they moved closer, Severus realized that it was Bellatrix. She was shaking slightly and her face was turned down into the wet grass.

"Bella, look at me." The Dark Lord commanded firmly. Severus inwardly recoiled as Bellatrix turned her face up toward the Dark Lord. She was bleeding profusely out of every orifice. Her mouth, nose, and ears all streamed blood. Her eyes were crying red tears and the sweat that beaded on her forehead was red. Severus watched with disgust as she attempted to wipe it away only to have it be replaced with brighter, fresh blood.

"M'Lord. Please. Let me go back to the house." Her words were muted with the blood that poured out her mouth. The Dark Lord merely looked down at her with curiosity.

"No, no. Stay out here and bleed some more." Bellatrix snarled in anger but quickly turned her face back to the grass to disguise it. The Dark Lord beckoned for Severus to follow him as they turned back up toward the house.

"Tomorrow night, bring Angelina Johnson to the Meeting. We will judge her worthiness there."

While Severus should have been relieved that the Dark Lord had not demanded her immediate presence, he was not. Facing the Dark Lord was difficult enough, but having to face him _and_ a room full of bloodthirsty Death eaters seemed insurmountable.

* * *

><p>Angelina stared at her reflection as she unsteadily moved a brush through her wet hair. <em>Stop shaking. You have to be strong Angelina. <em>She reprimanded herself harshly, she would not let Severus down. She would not endanger their lives. She would play her part well. So concentrated she was in her thoughts that she missed the sound of her door creaking open and then shut again. Suddenly sensing a presence behind her she gripped her wand and whirled around to curse her attacker who promptly deflected it.

"Yikes, next time I'll know to knock, miss!" She stood facing Albus Dumbledore who smiled at her serenely and took a seat at the foot of her bed.

"I'm sorry… Headmaster. I had no idea… no offense, but why didn't you knock?" Angelina replaced her wand on her dresser and turned in her seat to face the Headmaster.

"Because I didn't want to alert Severus if he happened to be in here. I chanced a quick peek and found that he wasn't and decided to just come in. So, in hindsight, you were quite justified in attempting to hex me." Angelina's cheeks burned as she realized that the Headmaster was aware of her liaison with her colleague.

"Severus…wouldn't be in here. I don't know what…" Angelina stumbled ungracefully around her lie. Dumbledore cut across her crisply, though not unkindly.

"Angelina, there is no need to lie to me. I have been aware for a while now. Which is why I am quite upset with Severus. I never thought he would do this to you." Confusion crossed her face, what was the Headmaster accusing Severus of?

"Headmaster, what are you talking about? Severus hasn't done anything to me. There are circumstances that we will have to face but…Well I expect you know all about that." Angelina didn't bother to underestimate Dumbledore's knowledge of the situation. Dumbledore twirled the end of his beard thoughtfully and commented quietly.

"I do know a certain amount. If you'll forgive me, I know perhaps a bit more about the situation than you do. Angelina, you do know you have a choice." He stated the last bit without the inflection that affords a question.

"Yes, I know that. I've already made my decision, however. I must stay with Severus. We will figure it out. There will be some way. I'll just go to a gathering every so often, do menial tasks within their ranks, I dunno. Severus and I will figure it out." Angelina said with a dismissive tone. She shouldn't have to be dealing with this right now, she reasoned. The Dark Lord might summon her at any moment; she needed to be focusing on that.

"Angelina, dear. It's much more complicated and dangerous than you can imagine. I urge you to please maybe reconsider. You are young. You have your entire life." While a moment ago, Dumbledore's tone had been light, it was now a bit tense. His bright blue eyes pierced her own and dark thoughts began to run through her head. _She could evade this. She could continue to live her safe life here at Hogwarts. After all, term was to start in a couple of weeks and wasn't this the job she had always wanted? She could lose herself in her duties, she could be safe. As for Severus, well. He had chosen to live the life of a spy, right? It was his choice to mingle with darkness. Not hers._

Suddenly disgusted with herself, Angelina felt an almost overwhelming nausea. How could she even consider leaving Severus to deal with this mess by himself? Who knows what the Dark Lord would do to him when he inevitably discovered the lie. The lie that he had been forced to tell to save her life. The palms of her hands burned as she twisted them in her lap. She answered Dumbledore through clenched teeth, slightly angry at the thoughts his prompting had produced.

"Albus. I have made my decision. I will not leave Severus Snape." She spoke with such finality that Dumbledore knew at once that any further pleas would fall on deaf ears. His anger at Severus rose hot within him. Severus had to live the life that he led because of his decision to follow the darkness in his younger years. Angelina had made no such choice. Her only mistake was to fall in love with such a man. Dumbledore recalled the warning he had imparted to him, months ago.

_"Just remember your position right now. And how careful you always must be. But God, she is beautiful."_

Severus should have kept her ignorant at all costs! Now she was walking into a situation that would eventually destroy her.

"Angelina! You don't have to come, not tonight." Severus swept into the room only to stop dead in his tracks at the odd sight that met his eyes. Dumbledore was seated at the foot of Angelina's bed while she sat at her vanity facing him, her hands unsettled in her lap. He could not help but notice how gorgeous she looked. She was wearing a modest black dress with a tiny bit of dark lipstick on. Her now-dry hair hung perfectly and grazed her jawline. Her somewhat hurried explanation brought him back to reality.

"Oh! Uhm, the Headmaster was just saying good-night!" Oh, how well he knew this woman. Her voice was higher pitched than usual and Snape instantly knew that he had caught them in the middle of their conversation, not the end. And that Angelina was sending Dumbledore a message. Their conversation was through.

"Well I hope you have a nice evening. I'll see you both at breakfast." Unceremoniously, Dumbledore rose from her bed and made to exit the room. As they passed each other in the doorway, Severus could feel the hard, accusatory look that Dumbledore laid upon him. Then he was gone.


	18. Chapter 18: Passion

After Dumbledore's exit, Severus snapped the door closed behind him and stood in front of the door. Angelina raised her eyes to him and asked,

"How was it? What is going to happen?" He closed his eyes and answered her quietly.

"He accepted my lie. I told him that you are sympathetic and… willing to join him. He didn't request your presence tonight, like I thought he would. You have to accompany me to the Meeting tomorrow night, though." Angelina jerked her head unconsciously as if to rid herself of a bad thought.

"A Meeting? Will all of the other Death Eaters be there too?" Her voice sounded small. Severus knew that she was thinking about two Death Eaters in particular. Bellatrix and Greyback.

"Yes, they will be. I will be with you the entire time though. I will protect you." She nodded at him but continued to question, her eyes wide.

"What if they don't like me? What if Bellatrix says something, or…" Severus cut across her quickly.

"No. Do not worry about the Death Eaters. Ignore them all. Only focus on impressing the

Dark Lord. His acceptance is the only thing that matters." Even though her questions were completely understandable, he found them disconcerting as they revealed the extent to which she was ignorant. They would have a lot of work to do tomorrow. Severus turned his mind back to the strange sight that met him upon entering her room.

"Angelina, what did Dumbledore have to say to you?" His question startled her as she had already dismissed that conversation from her mind. Standing, she came to him and held his weary form.

"He wanted me to leave you. I told him no, that I would never leave you." Her words were plain, simple, and fervently honest. His lips met hers rapidly, but ever so gently. As she kissed him back, Severus lifted her off of her feet and carried her to her bed. Slowly, he got up and began to pace around her room muttering protective incantations.

"Sev, what are you doing? We're safe here, we're in Hogwarts." She assured him cautiously. He did not turn to her as he answered,

"Just let me. Just let me do this. _Salvio Hexia. Protego Totalum. Muffliato. Nox._" At his last utterance the candles in the room extinguished but the full moon shined in from her bare window, bathing the room in a pastel, milky glow. Severus went back to the bed where she was lying on her back and once again covered her mouth with his own. She wrapped her legs around his body and ran her fingers through his long hair. Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he lifted himself up, and moved his right hand from her waist down to her thigh until he reached where the fabric of the dress ended and found her bare skin. Angelina bit down on her lower lip as his hand began to move back up her thigh, this time underneath her dress. His fingers reached her hips and felt the lace band of her underwear. Following the delicate lace, his fingers stirred across the smoothness of her lower belly and moved down to the wet warmth between her legs. Angelina broke their eye contact and looked away shyly.

"Angelina, look at me." The words were low, whispered. Angelina locked her eyes with his at the precise moment that he moved her panties aside and danced his fingers across her most sensitive area. Lying perfectly still she held her breath as he slid the lace down the length of her legs and down, onto the floor. He gently pulled her legs apart, exposing her to him fully. Whereas last time had been rough and lustful, now was soft and passionate. Severus wanted to explore and discover. He had never been with such a beautiful woman. After many long moments of his delicate teasing, Angelina moved her body up and began to remove his robes. Pale skin and fearsome scars were revealed to her as clothing fell away from his body. A particularly large, thick scar crossed his abdomen and stood out in rigid relief. Angelina bent down and moved her lips across it, tenderly, kissing it lightly. Severus buried a hand in her hair and gently pulled her head up to look at him.

"I love you, Angelina." The smile that crossed her face was dazzling as she replied,

"And I, you."

* * *

><p>She was now naked in his lap, her legs wrapped around his torso as she rode him, hard. A light sheen of sweat covered her body as she rotated her hips against him. His hands clutched at her bottom as he ground her into his body. Angelina could feel their climax building as she cried out against his mouth. Severus left her lips and progressed down between her breasts. He moved his head to a breast and captured a dark nipple between his lips. He was rewarded with a high moan. Pulling on her hard nubbin with his teeth he relished her cries of lust. Feeling his climax about to manifest he put an arm around her, flipping her over onto her back and intertwined her fingers with his own. Angelina's orgasm hit her like a hurricane and Severus could feel her muscles clamp around him like a vice. That was it. He came in her hard, burying his face in her neck, her voice ringing in his ears.<p>

* * *

><p>Watching her sleeping form, a quick thought crossed Severus's mind. Mimicking the action that he had repeated a few nights previously he carefully reached over and slid his wand from her small table and traced the tip of his wand down the smooth skin of her forearm and whispered a quick charm.<p>

_"Sine Gravida." _Replacing his wand, he settled down to sleep and resolved to talk to Angelina about contraception before the next time they had relations. However, if Angelina had known what he had just done she would have been devastated. Angelina Johnson was not one for needless risk taking. While he had been placing unnecessary protective enchantments, she had cast a contraceptive charm on herself. And as every witch knows, two contraception charms cast on the same woman within the same timeframe can sometimes have counterintuitive results.


	19. Chapter 19: Into the Darkness

**A/N: I can't believe I'm back!**

The low conversation gradually gave way to complete silence as a newcomer entered their mist. Angelina walked behind Severus slowly, forcing herself to walk with her normal gait. She ignored the faces that surrounded her and fixed her eyes on the back of Severus's head. He took his seat at the closest right to the head of the table and she sat on his right. _Are there assigned seats? _The thought flashed through her mind quickly and she immediately rebuked herself. _No worrying about the unnecessary. Focus._ She lifted her head, placed her arms beside herself, and looked blankly in front of her. The silence was gradually broken with snickers from the women while the men pointedly ignored her presence. Most of the men at least. Angelina could feel Fenrir's leer as if it were something physical that caressed her being with malicious intent. She fidgeted ever so slightly and felt Severus's hand grip her knee under the table. _Steady_, that grip said. His hand remained on her knee as the Dark Lord entered the room. Silence immediately fell.

"How are all of my loyal followers tonight?" Voldemort's cold voice filled the room and no one dared to answer the rhetorical question. His dark eyes swept around the table and lingered slightly on the new arrival. His eyes then rested on Severus. Turning his attention slowly back to the middle of the table, he began the Meeting.

Angelina's sharp mind processed and analyzed the plans that were discussed. Nothing top secret was being discussed at this Meeting she was sure, but she was still able to piece together a vague framework. She filed certain facts away for later use and listened carefully for the mention of any recognizable names. The Weasley's were mentioned once in disgusted passing by Lucius Malfoy (big surprise there), but that was all. Angelina had grown, if not comfortable, at least less anxious as the proceedings went on, however she was shunted into the spotlight quickly and the anxiety returned full force. Angelina prepared herself immediately.

"And now, let us turn to the newcomer among us. A person that I admit, intrigues me a bit." She was amazed at the lazy, nonchalant way that the words slipped out of his mouth but she cautioned herself to be careful. Lazy and nonchalant were two qualities that absolutely did not describe the Dark Lord. Summoning the courage that she had been stockpiling ever since she was made aware of the dark truth of Severus's second life, Angelina then did a surprising thing. She slowly lifted herself out of her chair and bent her body down into a low, respectful bow and said,

"Lord, I am most honored to be in your presence. After all this time of hoping, I am finally here." Her voice was earnest, but not too much so and she made her face gleam with eagerness. She returned to her seat and could feel a hush fill the room. She also felt Severus's disapproval as it radiated off of his body like fire but she ignored him. She ignored all of them but the tall, seated figure at the head of the table that was looking at her with mild curiosity. As least that was what it looked like as far as she could tell.

"What do you speak of?" Here it was, her one and only chance to convince him and she did it well.

"Why I speak of you of course, Lord. I have recently realized what a plague our world has been subject to. The Muggle and Mudblood scourge is nothing but a destructive force, one that seeks to undermine the sanctity and purity of magic. Through my Healing studies, I have been made aware of the physical and mental deficiency of dirty blood, and frankly, it disgusts me." Her voice rang out strong and true and many grunts of approval were voiced. While she had been speaking, the Dark Lord had been looking at his hands in contemplation. Now he turned his face to look directly at her and she wisely averted her eyes and stared back, just below his eyes.

"My, my. You certainly are… eloquent, my dear. Maybe you will be a suitable candidate. Have you a husband or children?" She answered him without breaking pace.

"I do not." He turned away from her and whispered something to himself it seemed, to his left. Nagini appeared and wound her way sinuously on the table and continued to weave herself in front of her master. Standing up, he left one departing remark. One that all could hear.

"Good. I'd hate to think that you meant trouble for Severus. He is, after all, my right hand." Voldemort then left the hall, with his beloved snake winding after him. There was once again silence, this time an uninterpretable one. While there was an air of approval from many of the men, there was also a more mocking, sinister vibe. Angelina's cheeks burned and she once again thanked the fates for her dark skin. She dared not look at Bellatrix or Fenrir. Then the moment was broken and individual discussion began among the table and people began to stand up to make their leave. She was then acutely aware of Severus's discomfort and trailed him as he swept quickly from the hall.

She followed him through the many corridors, grand halls, and up the staircases of Malfoy Manor. His gait quickened as they continued until she was trotting to keep up with him. She ran into him, startled, as he stopped in front of a large mahogany door that opened immediately to his touch. She followed him in and closed the door behind them.

"Well, I think that went…" She stopped immediately as he whirled around and hissed at her to be quiet. She chastised herself for her silly mistake and watched as he paced the large room, setting protective enchantments, _muffliato_ being the first one. When she was sure that he was finished, she finished her sentence.

"Well. I think that went well. Right?" Severus didn't quite know what to say.

"I think… I think so. But that doesn't mean anything. We still have to be as cautious as ever. Why didn't you tell me you were going for the offensive?" His voice, while strained, was not angry.

"Don't you think if I had sat there like a little mouse and fed him quiet, one word answers that would have been a bit suspicious? His followers are dedicated, Severus, passionate! They believe in him just as much if not more than if the shit he spouted were religion. I had to, Sev." She watched his face intently as he answered her.

"I suppose... I suppose. It's just, I don't know." He stopped his sentence in frustration. She came to him and took one of his hands in her own.

"What is it?" she questioned him softly. He pulled away from her and began pacing around the room, something he always did when he was feeling vulnerable.

"Hearing you say those things, and so convincingly at that… it was just scary." Seeing her mouth open angrily to retort he rushed on,

"Not like that, Angie. I know who you are and I know you would never, could never think like that. It just scared me because you almost sounded like me. The lies come so easily to me now, they are practiced and I say them without a second thought. I'm just so… sorry that I put you in this situation. You should be back at Hogwarts, in the infirmary. Not here, not in this dark place." He stopped his pacing and came to her then and held her in his arms. She leaned in to him for a moment but then pulled away and looked at him firmly.

"That is the last time you apologize to me about this, Severus Snape. Stop treating me as if I'm some weak and innocent damsel in distress. Yes, it's a horrible and dangerous situation but I'm more than capable of holding my own. I'm in this with you, not because of you. I could have left and I chose, I _choose_ not to. Because I love you. We are in this together and from now on we take care of each other. Equally." She saw love and respect in his eyes then. But before she ended this conversation she felt as if she should mention the one thing that had succeeded in disconcerting her.

"And that thing that Voldemort said about you and I. Do you anticipate it causing us trouble?" At those words he looked fierce.

"No. It's a good thing that they all know that you are mi… that we are together. They better stay away from you." He uttered this in a slight growl and she interpreted _they_, as _Fenrir_. This trouble was removed from her mind though as he suddenly swept her off of her feet and carried her to the bed.

"Now, milady it does you no good to walk on those dainty feet of yours. Let me take you to bed." He smiled as her face broke into a laugh and she replied in a pretentious simper,

"Oh Severus Snape, what would I do without you? I would surely be lost, you chauvinist bastard." He laid her on the bed and attacked her lips, without further ado.


	20. Chapter 20: Agreement

Malfoy Manor was a dark place. The largest mansion she had ever set eyes on, it rose into the sky fearlessly. With architecture that seemed aggressive by English standards, the many buttresses and columns rose from the dark earth and loomed toward the sun. Grey and black were the colors that overwhelmingly reigned. Old, grey stone that was crossed with dark black cracks that laced the bricks like veins. This was where she was to spend her time. Well, not all of her time. She would still keep up with all of her duties as the infirmary nurse at Hogwarts but she would also serve as the head healer for Voldemort and his death eaters.

Angelina traced her fingers over the light imprint that served to show where Severus had lain only moments before. He had crept out of bed in the middle of the night, kissed her lightly on the forehead, and disappeared. Angelina had woken from her fitful rest immediately, but feigned sleep when she felt the bed rise as he left the bed. Healer for Voldemort. Her thoughts flashed jarringly to the phrase. Healer for Voldemort. Her mind flew to earlier that day, after the meeting, when she had been summoned.

_One hand danced its finger along her neckline and the other held the small of her back. Severus pulled out of the kiss, only to immediately kiss her again with renewed vigor. She raised her body to meet his, as any time separated was painful. Her fingers played in his hair, moved to his shoulders, and felt his forearms lightly. And then she jumped in pain and accidentally bit down._

_Severus jerked his body up and away until he was on the opposite side of the bed. Blood that almost looked black from the reflections of twilight in the windows beaded from his bottom lip. However, his eyes were on his Dark Mark. The serpent was furiously winding its way in and out of the skull and his skin glowed bright red as the tattoo outlined itself. His expression quickly moved from surprise to stoicism. His eyes narrowed. His mouth transformed into a hard line. He slowly looked up at her. Angelina was hunched over, staring at him with large dark eyes._

_"You're to go meet him." His words were low but perfectly clear. Angelina blinked once and then asked, "May you accompany me?" His expression only grew stonier, and he suddenly looked a thousand years old, a skeleton carrying the weight of the world. "No." The word rang out harshly, even though it had been said gently, reassuringly. Angelina unfolded her legs, gathered her robes, and rose to go get changed._

_She held her robes firmly in her left hand as she kept her fingertips in contact with the stone as she descended the rough staircase quickly. Keeping her body in contact with the wall helped steady her. Helped her to know what was approaching. As she went deeper into the bowels of Malfoy Manor, she felt a dark and panicked magic rise within her. A foreboding such as she had never known began to consume her and she began to sweat lightly. Her breaths changed from determined and calm to hurried and tinged with anxiety. Anxiety. Angelina slipped and barely caught herself from smashing into a thick oaken door that had appeared directly in front of her. It took up all of the space in the stairwell but when she gazed up to see where it met the ceiling, she saw no ceiling, only darkness. Forcibly shifting her mind back to the task at hand, she drew herself full in front of the oaken door and moved her hand toward the large golden serpentine knocker that decorated the door. She changed the direction of her hand in midair and went to her waist where her wand was instead. An idea had just occurred to her. Bringing her long ash wand to her lips for a quick kiss, she whispered, "Expecto Patronum."_

_The beautiful shaggy wolf burst from her wand tip and bounded across the magical boundary that showed itself as an oaken door. Angelina waited with baited breath. The residual silvery glow left by her wolf had long dissipated before she received a response._

_"Enter." Voldemort called to her. His voice was cold and brittle, yet clear as day. She crossed the boundary in one step. Instead of the warm glow that one usually felt when crossing a magical barrier, she felt an uncomfortable shock. Not painful, but discomfiting all the same. What met her eyes after she crossed was a large drawing room wreathed in shadows. An enormous hearth dominated the center of the room and a roaring fire crackled and spit within. Controlling the urge to wring her head around in circles looking for the Dark Lord, she maintained her composure and gazed straight ahead, into the flames. Movement caught her eye and she slowly turned to face Voldemort. He had emerged from a shadowy corner and now stood in plain sight. A tall, thin figure, that cut a terrifying yet impressive picture. Jet black robes that started at his throat and swept the ground near his feet. He opened his arms wide and smiled horribly at her. "Let us now discuss the terms of our agreement."_


End file.
